Gaelleon's War
by DragonFang2011
Summary: Three boys have a destiny to fulfill. They are the world's last hope. The war is raging around them. They must survive, even if they have to fight for forever. Along the way, they meet new friends and enemies, and find love. They must get along with each other, and come to terms with their pasts to prepare for the future. Rated T for language and violence. DISCONTINUED!
1. Sort of a Beginner

This story was inspired by The Hunger Games, like the ways of the towns, made-up beasts and such.

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade, or The Hunger Games in any way whatsoever.

* * *

_An army of merciless creatures declared war on the prosperous country of Gaelleon twenty-three years ago. They call themselves Fortissimus, as a reference to their mighty onslaught of gruesome beasts and assassins. Fortissimus has driven the armies of Gaelleon closer towards the center of the country—the capitol city Sirius._

_Men are continuously being picked up from towns to participate as soldiers in the war—separated from their families and friends._

_Desperate, schools all over the still-free cities are training children over the age of ten—no matter how high or low they are in society—in order to produce stronger warriors to fend back the Fortissimus._

* * *

From a traveler's point of view, it probably looked like a beautiful day in Ensis, Gaelleon. In Gingka Hagane's perspective, it was pretty normal, but not at all that beautiful, although the dense forests and lush meadows around the city fitted the description well enough.

The chaos in the Ensis Academy, however, was quite the opposite, especially when Gingka was sweating like a pig, his sword arm hurt like hell, and his body was covered with numerous cuts and bruises. The other forty-nine teenagers in the bare training field were practically oozing exhaustion, like he was.

The fourteen-year-old redhead was going through the easier levels of sword-fighting with the training dummy, which was really a thick, six-foot-tall sack stuffed with dried grass, leaves, sand, and soil.

Gingka wouldn't exactly call himself a _beginner_—he already knew the basics by heart.

Or an _expert_.

He didn't know the fancy techniques.

He didn't know the best ways to disarm an opponent.

He didn't even know how to _actually disarm_ an opponent!

Or even a person in the_ intermediate level_.

He didn't know how to look for just the correct openings to strike.

He wasn't very quick.

He wasn't very good at defending himself.

His blows were also quite weak.

No, Gingka would say that he was a fair way away from the beginner's level, and a little off the intermediate level.

He did know of one person who wasn't exactly an expert, but was well beyond the intermediate level. In fact, that person was right beside him.

His roommate—green-haired Kyoya Tategami—was practicing the more complicated techniques. With one solid slice of his sword, the upper half of his training dummy flew through the air and flopped limply onto the ground, spewing straw and dried grass onto the dark, lifeless soil.

Kyoya never failed to impress Gingka, but even as he was watching, Gingka's steady pace remained unbroken.

"You call that a swing, Hagane?" Ayumu—the weapons instructor—snapped. His booming voice almost made Gingka drop his sword; he didn't even notice his teacher watching him. "Do it again! Faster this time!" The redhead drew back—feeling the aching pain in his arm increase drastically—as every eye in the large training field turned to him. The emerald-green gaze of his instructor was the worst.

"Y-Yes sir!" Gingka whimpered. He lifted his worn sword and swiped upwards at the training dummy, the sharp edge of the blade diagonally slicing the cloth sack from the right ribs to the left shoulder. He glanced upwards hopefully.

Ayumu's expression remained stoic—he seemed to hate all of the pupils because he preferred being on the battlefield—but he moved on along the line to yell at the other students.

Judging from Ayumu's reaction, Gingka thought that he did an okay job.

He sighed in relief—wiping his face with the end of his white shirt—and sat down on the hard-packed ground, wincing as his limbs shrieked in protest. He had just scooped a ladle full of clear water from the drinking bucket when Ayumu's voice ringing across the field once again made him jerk upwards instinctively, effectively splashing his beverage into Kyoya's face.

"KISHATU!" Ayumu roared. "What is this crap? You've been practicing the basics for weeks, and you haven't improved a bit! I thought Hatori raised you better than that!"

_He just _loves_ embarrassing us_, Gingka mused, ignoring Kyoya's lethal-looking blue glare aimed at him.

Ryuga Kishatu—who was located two rows in front of Gingka—threw down his blade in frustration.

Ryuga's father Hatori was one of the soldiers who was led into battling a dozen Infernum Pilum. As the chance of winning dwindled, the leader of the troop tried to withdraw from the battlefield with the remainder of his warriors in order to save them. Only half a dozen lived to see the next sunrise, due to one of the Pilum chasing after their retreating party.

Hatori Kishatu was not one of the survivors.

Instead of cowering before the vicious instructor, Ryuga growled, a scowl etched into his sharp features. Amber met green in a fierce clash for victory and only victory. It was clear that they shared a mutual dislike—or hatred—for each other.

"I told you, already, I'm trying!" Ryuga bared his sharp, fang-like teeth in an almost-feral snarl, and he picked up his sword, as if ready to drive it into Ayumu's skull with the little skill and respect he had for the weapon.

The instructor himself already had his fingers wrapped around the handle of his own sword before he spun around stiffly and marched away, one of his heavy boots snapping a spear in half—making the owner gasp in dismay. "Then try harder."

Ryuga drove the blade of his sword into the ground with an angry scoff, followed by a silent round of Gaellean curses. Gingka winced at the foul language, whilst the short boy beside Ryuga—Kenta Yumiya—was wearing a mask of indifference, brown eyes unblinking.

"Why don't you try another weapon?"

At Kenta's suggestion, Ryuga shoved him to the ground. However, Kenta was pretty used to that kind of treatment, and stood up, brushing dirt off the seat of his pale brown tunic and tights and picking up his knife to practice on his own training dummy.

Ryuga picked up his white cloak—which lay discarded on the ground—and fastened it around his neck, clamping the brass buttons together forcefully as he got ready to skip the rest of training.

Gingka didn't understand why Kenta hung around Ryuga. The amber-eyed young man was too violent and cold—he wasn't very good at controlling his temper, and to make things worse, he could flip a table over with one hand. In one of his rampages, he flipped _Kenta_ himself, and the younger boy was lucky not to have broken anything more serious than his wrist.

"What are you looking at?" Ryuga screamed. It took a while for Gingka to realize that the older teen's slitted eyes were spitting fire at him. The redhead just shrugged—he was immune to such glares, since he and Kyoya shared a room in the dormitories—and turned back to the drinking bucket, only for Kyoya to toss a handful of water at him.

* * *

I'm just experimenting with this, since I haven't planned out every chapter, so I'll just see... Review please. Either I continue this or make this a one-chapter story.

**Names:**

*Gaelleon- some random name that popped into my mind. (Kind of like "galleon," a large sailing vessel from the 15th and 17th century.)

*Fortissimus- "champion" in Latin.

*Sirius- After one of the brightest stars in the heavens.

*Ensis- "blade" in Latin.

*Infernum Pilum- "Hell Fur" in Latin. To be announced in later chapters (if I go on).

Sigh... I just _love_ Latin...

I won't be updating this in a while. I need to write the rest so I could be sure that this story doesn't go plummeting off a cliff.


	2. Troubles

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

I'm posting Chapter 2 and 3 because they're the starter ones, and I already wrote them.

* * *

Kyoya's already-sore arms struggled to keep his end of the heavy crate aloft. Sweat made his jade-green bangs stick to his face, blocking part of his vision. Even with Benkei Hanawa's help, each has had their own share of exhausting battle training earlier in the day, which made Kyoya's job of carrying cargo around the harbor more difficult than it already was without school and—ugh—books.

The two teenagers shuffled towards the docks in an unsteady pace.

Kyoya signaled for Benkei to stop, then grunted and shifted his sweating hands on the underside of the crate for a better grip. At Benkei's questioning glance, he nodded. The pair moved on—gradually getting closer to the about-to-depart ship, which was still several yards away.

Benkei was one of Kyoya's close companions—few of which he had. The two of them have been working together at the harbor for three years, graduating from janitors, to errand boys, and eventually to people who carry heavy stuff around—Kyoya didn't know what that was called.

They understood each other quite well, although Benkei usually did most of the talking. Of course, they helped each other out in dire situations and often provided when the other was in need of something, so debts were always repaid—no matter how much Benkei insisted that Kyoya never had any debts to pay because they were friends, Kyoya still thought of help as such.

He would rather step on hot coals than admit it, but Benkei was his friend—if all the things he did counted as deeds that a friend would commit.

Kyoya caught a bright glimmer of something just ahead of them, and an all-too-familiar stench invaded his sense of smell. He still couldn't put a finger on what the object was, since he was too busy trying not to drop the box. He shook his head, green hair moving aside to improve his vision.

He could barely register the oncoming hazard, since he was quite busy focusing on the burning pain in his arms and his need to drop the damned crate to rest.

"Benkei," Kyoya said. "There's—"

A loud yelp interrupted his sentence, and the next thing he knew, his companion disappeared into an awful-smelling mound of an assortment of fish.

Benkei's end of the crate crashed to the ground.

Kyoya's fingers slipped.

Kyoya scrambled to regain his grasp on the splintery wood.

The edge of the box landed squarely on Kyoya's bare feet, and he let out a howl of pain.

To make things worse, there was a sound like breaking glass from inside the crate. Kyoya winced and hoped that their boss would just blame the merchants.

Benkei's head resurfaced from beneath the sea creatures—the forked tail of a pink fish sticking out of his mouth, still jerking its spine frantically as it tried to escape. He spit the fish out and it flopped around helplessly on the stone ground. It was an amusing surprise that it was still alive.

"You could've warned me sooner, Kyoya!" Benkei huffed. "Now I stink like... fish. I STINK LIKE FISH!"

The older teenager sat down on the ground with a grimace, rubbing his throbbing feet. "Why don't you try doing a hundred push-ups in front of the whole class? Then we'll see."

Kyoya picked up the fish by the tail and tossed it back into the pile carelessly, flashing a worried glance at the crate that most likely contained expensive, delicate items—which they broke.

"That's because _I_ didn't splash Gingka!" Benkei said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"He started it," Kyoya grumbled, tucking his brown cloak behind him as he stood up and put his fingers on the edge of the crate. The sun was already setting—seemingly drowning in the watery horizon and painting the sky pink, orange, and purple. "C'mon—let's get this on board before Doji throws a fit."

And indeed, Doji did throw a rather scary fit. Apparently, falling into a pile of fresh fish and dropping a box of expensive porcelain vases—breaking several of them, mind you—was _not_ part of their job description. Kyoya didn't know what the big deal was—it wasn't like it was the first time he and Benkei messed up. And he didn't hesitate telling Doji that.

But they were fired, anyways.

Because in addition for damaging the cargo, keeping secrets about messing up on the job was also a big no-no.

So much for blaming the merchants.

Then Doji screamed at them to get out of his office before he called the authorities on them—which was a kind act on his part. They had no choice but to—and quote Doji—"SCRAM!"

Kyoya really wanted to get his last paycheck, but now they owed the company over ten-thousand copper pieces, and their salary barely covered that. Doji was nice enough to pay for the damage himself.

As they were walking back to the dormitories, Benkei whined nonstop about how he couldn't buy the extra food he always purchased from his favorite shop, and other stuff he would "never be able to live without."

Mostly about his food, though.

Personally, Kyoya thought that Benkei should have saved up his money instead of wasting it on food, when the school already provided them with their basic needs... for _free_.

But he wasn't about to mention that he had a few hundred copper pieces in a box under his bed—no need for Benkei to snuff it out and spend the money on stuffing his mouth.

"Kyoya," Benkei said, interrupting the other's train of thought. "Dolor."

Dolor was Ensis' black market located inside a large, abandoned building—a place for illegal trade. The people there either sold items against the law, and set up shops that didn't have permission to be set up. The authorities usually ignored the place because they were told that it was occupied. It was under the protection of some of the higher-class people of Ensis, who often bought goods from Dolor, since most of the items sold there were unavailable at other stores.

The two friends had gotten used to going through the trading center on their way home from work—from when Kyoya was nine and Benkei was eight. Gone was their fear of it. They had proven that they weren't afraid, that they could fight if they had to. Through this, they gained friends. Not the nicest friends, but friends, all the same.

In a way, the black market was like a second home. They practically grew up in it.

Kyoya and Benkei arrived at the Sodo food stand. The twins—Dan and Reiki Sodo—barely glanced at them. They usually had mischievous smirks on their faces, but that day was different. They looked upset. It was then that Kyoya noticed that their mother—the owner of the shop—and her boyfriend Yondin wasn't at the counter where they usually were.

"Where's your mom and Yondin?" Benkei asked, sitting on the bench that lined the front of the stand. Kyoya sat down as well, and noticed that the candle that usually illuminated the shop wasn't lit.

Reiki was the first to look up. "The police caught them."

Dan spoke up next. "We told them not to go—"

"—but they tried to steal some money from Horiku, anyway," Reiki finished.

"What do you think happened to them?" Kyoya blurted out.

Dan and Reiki exchanged worried glances. "Yondin was hanged this afternoon," Dan said. "His body's still dangling from the gallows."

"He told everyone who was watching that he was the one who made her go," Reiki added. "Even though it was our mother's idea."

Yondin was a fairly decent guy. He was born a noble from a long line of snobby rich people who led snobby rich lives as business owners. But he loved Mrs. Sodo—despite her being a peasant from a _black market_—and love made people horribly stupid.

Although Yondin's lie was a courageous act, Kyoya couldn't say that he felt like mourning for him.

* * *

What do you guys think?


	3. The Best Weapon

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

* * *

He hated swords.

Why did he hate swords?

In his eyes, they are stupid, heavy weapons with as much finesse as a herd of moose. They're so common. They don't kill quickly enough—the user has to fight their way through other swords in order to pierce their opponents. So exhausting. What's so great about that? Once a sword's knocked out of a hand, the person's dead.

And yet, warriors brag about them.

_Tch. Pathetic._

Bows, arrows, and throwing knives are more like it. They can kill easily—up close and far away. They are easy to carry around, they rarely glint so much in the light, unlike the shiny metal of a sword. They aren't very hard to make. All they need is a warrior with good aim, eyesight, and reflexes.

He never misses.

But why even bother explaining to Ayumu? The guy was obsessed with the "better weapons" like swords, spears, axes, maces. He even looked down on Kenta's knife, no matter how many times Kenta could disarm the people he sparred against—older, taller, and stronger people—with practiced ease.

Many people consider archers as wimps who stay away as far from the real fighting as possible. Ryuga would like to see those sword-fighters shoot a gecko from two... three hundred feet away.

Sword-fighting is a useless art.

He was an archer.

An arrow fitted onto the string of his bow, he practically glided over the forest floor, footsteps light and soundless, tread like the finest silk. He had been hunting for as long as he could remember, long before his father—a simple cow herder—left to fight in the damned war.

A rustling leaf from a nearby bush to his right caught his attention, and a pale blur darted from the shade of the greenery.

The arrow pierced the rabbit's eye before it can blink.

_Stupid rabbit._

Ryuga bent over the game and plucked the slender wooden arrow from the dead creature's eye socket. He wiped the bloody tip on the ground, picked up his kill and turned it over in his hands. It was plump and large—not too young, not too old. The pale brown pelt was in good condition to make shoes or whatever else rabbit pelts are used for. The whole animal could easily sell for a good twenty or so, copper pieces—which was a fair amount of money—in Dolor. Or he could trade it for two loaves of bread from the bakery.

It wasn't like he had anyone to take care of but himself, though, so why get anything more than what he needed? His father was killed in the midst of battle, his mother died in childbirth, and his younger brother Ryuto was gone, too.

_It's better this way_, he tried to convince himself. _Easier to survive. No other people to provide for. No other people to hold me back._

_It's better this way._

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he made his way to the river, his bag heavy with game and a doe slung over his right shoulder. He sat down on top of that large boulder he always sat down on, and slid his knife out of its sheath on his belt.

He skinned his two rabbits, tossed the pelts into his bag, amongst the three untouched wild turkeys and a separate pouch of greens and fruit. He washed his hands and equipment in the cold river and once again took to carrying the doe back towards the town of Ensis.

Once he entered, he kept to the shadows.

Hunting was illegal without a permit, and that he didn't have, but who cares? Why should he let other hunters take down the game in the forest, or let some upperclassman hunt for sport, when Ryuga needed the food and money more than they did?

Dolor was the only place where he could sell his kills, because pretty much everyone there sold something illegally.

As soon as he entered the stone building, people swarmed around him, yelling out various prices for the deer.

A feminine voice rang out over the rest; "Five silver pieces!"

His eyes widened; a doe for five silver pieces? Only a noble could afford to pay that much money for... for anything, really. But, heck, he needed every coin he could get. "Sold for five silver pieces!" Ryuga announced.

The crowd moved aside—grumbling—as Hikaru Hasama hurried towards Ryuga in a very unladylike fashion, slender fingers already shifting through a velvet pouch in her other hand. Her tunic—which she probably stole from wherever—had a large dark stain down the front, which could only be from the Sodos' black tea.

The black tea was one of the worst possible drink choices—people usually bought them to challenge themselves or Dan Sodo, who was the reigning champion. Ryuga was willing to bet one of his rabbits that Hikaru had a showdown with Dan, and lost.

Hikaru dropped the five silver coins into Ryuga's outstretched palm. He bent down, slid the doe off his shoulder, and handed it over to Hikaru, who grunted in effort as the heavy body was placed into her arms. She looked like she was about to drop it—like any prissy little rich girl would—when Ryuga lifted it out of her grasp, trying to conceal his smirk.

Hikaru's father was the Lord of Ensis, and Ryuga felt like he'd be clobbered to death if the police suddenly came after him—not that they could catch him. He would shoot them before they got within three hundred feet of him.

"I could carry it myself!" Hikaru snapped, an amusing shade of red flooding her face.

"Tch. Like hell, you can." Ryuga knew that he was probably going to be punished for talking back to her, but she ignored his words, seeming more interested in staring at her boots.

"Why are you even doing this?" she asked quietly from beside him as he walked her to the entrance. "I'm one of them—the monsters who step all over you just to get what they want! You don't even know me!"

Ryuga could tell by the tone of her voice that she was lonely—that she wanted to be reassured that she wasn't a monster, and that he didn't hate her. However, she was already spoiled enough, so he didn't say anything. The truth was, he _did_ think that she was a monster. He _did_ hate her. He hated _all of them_—the _monsters_ who stepped all over him just to get what they wanted.

But he hated _her_—the stupid, clueless, _prissy little rich girl_ walking by his side—the most, out of all of _the monsters who stepped all over him just to get what they wanted._

Hikaru carefully helped Ryuga place the doe's body into the small cart in front of Dolor. She hopped onto the driver's seat. "Thanks for the help," she said, tossing an extra silver piece to him. Ryuga snatched the money out of the air and slipped it into his pocket. He didn't want her thanks. It would never bring his father back to life.

"See ya around!" Hikaru said. Ryuga heard the snap of the reins and the clip-clop of the horse's hooves as it trotted leisurely along the paved street.

He hated _her_ more than he hated swords.

This was because it was _her father _who came riding through the cobblestone road underneath the green trees on his cloud-white stallion... because it was _her father_ who knocked on Ryuga's door... and demanded that _his father_ participate in the damned war.

Basically, it was _her father_ that caused _his father's death_.

And Ryuga was always one who holds grudges—one who never forgives.

* * *

I tried writing Ryuga in character this time. I think that I did a pretty darn good job. And about the bow and arrow thing... I wanted to give him a weapon that probably not a lot of people envision him using. I mean, how many of you would rather have given him a sword?

I repeated phrases from previous sentences because I thought it made the story seem more emotional. Heh. Fail.

Ryuga doesn't like Hikaru. Makes sense, though, since her dad dragged his into the war, and such. It makes it more dramatic. There's a possibility of RyugaxHikaru, but I don't know yet...

Review?


	4. The Invasion

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

* * *

Someone was yelling his name. "Gingka!"

"Gingka!"

The redhead half-opened his eyes groggily, still feeling the effects of sleep. For a brief moment, he was able to focus on the cornflower-blue eyes staring down at him frantically. He managed to catch bits and pieces of sentences that were slurred together as he tried to fight the fatigue threatening to overcome him—threatening to put him back to sleep. "Gingka! Wake—! The village—attacked! Fortissimus—burning—! Hurry!"

He felt the force of a slap on his face.

Gingka bolted upright, sweating heavily and trying to ignore the cramps in his muscles and the stinging pain of the slap. Smoke fogged his vision, stinging his eyes, and choking him. Kyoya's gloved hand clamped around the redhead's arm and dragged him off his cot.

"Be quiet," Kyoya whispered in a hoarse voice.

Gingka nodded, his fear of dying surpassing his urge to jump out of the window.

Kyoya was clearly making an effort not to cough—covering his nose and mouth with the edge of his cloak—as he poked his head out of the door and turned his head to examine the circular area that their room bordered, along with the others. "They haven't gotten to Section G yet," he said, tightening his grip on his sword, which was sheathed and attached to his belt. "Come on."

Kyoya led Gingka along the edge of the circle, keeping to the darkest shadows as he made his familiar route towards the stairs. The stone walls radiated an almost unbearable temperature. They wove through the maze of hallways that made up the Ensis Academy dormitories—the hallways that only the more experienced students could maneuver through. They had just passed Section C when suddenly, Kyoya froze, eyes wide. "Hide!" He pulled Gingka into the janitor's closet and eased the door shut.

"Get your own closet!" someone growled, shoving them to the wall. Gingka managed to make out the red highlight of Ryuga's white hair—smudged with ash and grime—in the light from the window that streamed through the top crack of the door.

For once, Gingka agreed with Ryuga—out of all the people he'd rather be stuck with, the white-and-red-haired teen was right there, at the bottom of the list, next to a Fortissimus soldier.

"Too late," Kyoya grumbled.

Ryuga grabbed Kyoya's arms and lifted him up, then did the same with Gingka, pressing them close to his body. Kyoya hissed quietly in protest and tried to jump off, but Ryuga kept both of the younger teens in place, tightening his arms around them until Gingka could barely breathe. The redhead noticed that they were standing on top of a mound of towels. He shuffled through what he knew, trying to put a finger on why they were on a pile of fabric, but nothing came to mind, except that there was a monster... that could sense vibrations!

That, or Ryuga was trying to strangle them.

Footsteps pounded down the hallway past the closet, followed by a snuffling sound and a growl. Gingka felt his heart thumping in his chest, convinced that himself and the two older teenagers beside him would be discovered.

But the group passed. The clanking of blades and roars and other sounds of destruction echoed throughout the halls, before the Fortissimus soldiers moved further down. Ryuga let go, stepped off the pile of towels, opened the door, and looked out.

In the sickly orange light that spread into the tiny closet, Gingka saw what he could describe as a recurve bow and two large quivers of arrows slung over Ryuga's back, just under his cloak, the tops visible enough for an arrow to be grabbed easily. The amber-eyed teen hefted his bow off his shoulders and fitted an arrow onto the string before he slunk out into the hallway.

Gingka and Kyoya followed him, taking in the charred walls and dirty floor. They didn't dare look out of the window.

The redhead almost threw up at the sight of Section B's circle.

Dozens of mutilated bodies—both human and monster—littered the entirety of the room. Doors were smashed open, blood, broken weapons, and heads of people Gingka had never bothered to get to know were strewn around in a way that made the redhead sick to his stomach.

He hated war.

Each hallway after it was in the same condition—the stench of monsters, smoke, and burnt humans clinging to the dark recesses of Gingka's mind.

Gingka nearly missed the flash of Ryuga's snowy cloak as the white-and-red-haired teen jumped off the stone banister. "Ryuga!"

He peered over the side—worried—and was relieved to see the older teenager dodge a chunk of blazing wood that fell from above.

The two teens ran down the stairs, which were partly ablaze with hot flames. As they reached the last step, it crumbled beneath them, sending them both sprawling onto the fire-baked stone floor of the dormitory lobby. Coughing and wheezing from the smoke, they helped each other up, leaning on the other's shoulders as they stumbled towards the entrance.

"Get back!" Kyoya yanked Gingka backwards as a flaming wooden beam crashed to the ground in front of them, throwing up more sparks.

Ryuga kicked the door in frustration. "I can't open it!"

"It's jammed!" Kyoya pulled on the brass handle, but the door refused to budge. He turned to Gingka and Ryuga. "We have to get to a window." He frowned. "The kitchen!"

Ryuga was already running towards the wooden door that led to the kitchen, kicking it open and disappearing inside without even a backwards glance, his bow and arrow still frozen in a launching position.

By the time Gingka and Kyoya managed to scramble out of the window, Ryuga was shooting Fortissimus monsters down with deadly and frightening accuracy, hitting each of them spot-on in the eye, neck, mouth, or heart as if he had been training for it all his life—which, judging by his flawless aim, was probably true. He never hesitated—never showed a hint of mercy.

Ryuga cleared the street, looking around cautiously.

Gingka's legs trembled as a large blue dragon smashed its head into a building a few blocks away, roaring blue fire.

"That was Dolor!" Kyoya exclaimed, looking dismayed. Although Gingka had never been fond of Dolor—he avoided it as much as possible—he was upset, thinking about all the people who were perishing inside the building.

"We have to help!" Kyoya said. Ryuga grabbed his arm firmly. "It's too late for that. Everyone in that place is dead now."

Kyoya looked like he was about to strangle the older teen, but before he could even blink, a ten-foot-long armored snake slithered out of a nearby alley, forked tongue flicking out of its partly-open jaws.

Letting go of Kyoya, Ryuga shot an arrow into the snake's eye, and it roared in pain, crashing to the ground.

As the snake writhed on the ground, Kyoya pulled his sword out, dug it into a chink in its armor, and sliced the beast's head off with ease.

Ryuga... well, Gingka could only say that the older teen ran like there was no tomorrow—there was a possibility of there being no tomorrow, since the situation they were in wasn't exactly what one would call a safe situation. But Ryuga... he just _ran_. Never looking back, even as two more armored snakes came and went under Gingka and Kyoya's swords.

Gingka had never been sure who the most selfish person he knew was.

Ryuga had just made the spot.

Without a long-distance-weapon specialist, it was hard work killing the snakes because in order to vanquish them, Gingka and Kyoya had to move into the range of their long fangs. Several times, they came close to death. By the time the reptiles were done for, they were drenched in sweat, dirt, and ash. Gingka had never been so scared and exhausted in his life. Before he could rest, however, Kyoya led him out of the village, avoiding battles as much as possible, and pretty much making Gingka even more tired.

When they finally reached the edge of the town, Kyoya plunged right into the forest, seeming not to care that they were practically making enough noise to scare off any animal in a one-mile radius. They sat down on the base of a tree, panting heavily. Gingka's weariness was taken over by fear. "Kyoya... what are we going to do?" he asked. "We're h—"

"We're going to have to go somewhere else," Kyoya said. "The plan is to find other survivors and somehow make it to the next city, which is Goren. Then—"

"But if Fortissimus is here," Gingka argued, "and they're heading for Sirius, then... it's no use. They're going to pass Goren anyway, and we're gonna end up right back where we started." He didn't see a way that they were going to come out of the battle ahead of them alive. They couldn't go anywhere else because the other towns and borders were being guarded by Fortissimus forces. And finding other survivors was unlikely.

Kyoya placed his elbow on his knee and twirled his sword. Gingka inched away from him, afraid that his head would be cleaved in half. Seeming amused, Kyoya wiped the bloody blade on the grass in front of him and sheathed it once again. "What I meant was that after we stop in Goren... we could go on to Sirius and register for the army."

A wave of shock crashed onto Gingka. "What?" he hissed, hands trembling in fear. "We could die! I'm not even up to Level 3!"

"You could still be trained," Kyoya pointed out.

Gingka made a fist. "No! No way! I'm not going to sign up for the army, only to get killed anyway!" He didn't want to die.

His companion was silent. "I would rather die fighting for my country, than live in misery."

* * *

I think that every time I finish a chapter, I'll post it. :D Please tell me what you think!


	5. Ghosts

Thanks for reviewing, everyone! I really appreciated reading what you think of the story!

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

**WARNING: Contains very disturbing scenes about dead people**

* * *

Kyoya walked among the smoldering remains of his home as rain poured from the skies above him, extinguishing the last of the flames. His bare feet squelched as they sunk into the blood-stained mud that covered the cobblestone streets. He regretted even thinking of coming back.

The rank stench of drenched and decomposing carcasses around him was almost unbearable. Everywhere he looked, all he saw was destruction.

The rain had stopped.

His footsteps felt heavy and tired—like his heart—despite the fact that he had only walked two miles. It wasn't because there was a long gash on his left leg. The closer he got to the center of the village, the more dead bodies he saw.

He was glad that Gingka wasn't with him to see what was left of Ensis—the younger boy would've cried. Kyoya made sure that he woke up so early that it was still dark; he couldn't imagine how he would be able to handle it if he saw everything in broad daylight—colors, flies eating at the corpses, forest critters hopping around as if nothing happened. He didn't want to see the ruined village—his home—and imagine the residents going about their daily lives, knowing that most of them will never come back.

But even in the dark of early morning and the rain, he could see them.

Ghostly images of children prancing around. Laughing. Playing. Grabbing his hands so that he could dance with them.

Ghostly images of the group of men in front of a food stand. Eating. Gambling. Telling stories. Waving at him.

Ghostly images of the vendors selling their wares.

He couldn't hear them, though. They were moving in slow motion. He didn't know why until he came face-to-face with one of the dead faces of a fellow citizen, but he had been imagining those things. That was when he totally lost it. His breathing quickened as he sped up his pace to a brisk walk.

Kyoya stepped over a half-eaten corpse of a boy younger than he was—trying to ignore the gruesome sight—and headed for the fortress, fear making his heart pound. He could still see the horrible ghostly people doing ghostly things, staring at him. Horrible ghostly people—most of them he knew, most of them he didn't even bother with. He could've saved them—all of them. Before he knew it, he was tearing through the streets in a mad frenzy, trying to escape the _horrible ghostly people_ that grabbed at his arms, cloak, and legs—_horrible ghostly people_ who started to talk in moaning voices, asking him why he _didn't save them_. They drove him to run faster until he was sprinting freely, rounding random corners, tripping over dreadful corpses of men, women, and children, until he was no longer aware of his surroundings, or where he was going.

He collided with another person and fell to the wet ground on his rump. The person in front of him was kneeling down, shaking his shoulders and telling him to calm down.

"Kyoya!"

Kyoya shook the fog out of his mind, finding a remote grip on his remaining sanity, and focusing on the familiar face in front of him. Alive. Not dead.

"B-Benkei?" He'd never been so happy to see anyone. The pale ghosts around him dissipated into the air, as if they'd never existed. No, they never did exist in the first place. He noticed that his throat kind of hurt when he spoke, and he frowned at the only possibility... he had been wailing like mad.

"You survived!" the annoyingly shrill voice screeched. Kyoya felt strong arms wrap around him and lifted him off the ground. The older teen felt his lungs being crushed, but he allowed himself a grin—relieved that his friend survived. He noticed that Kenta Yumiya and a brown-haired girl were behind Benkei. All three were wounded, but were bandaged. Kyoya assumed that the girl was the one who fixed them up, since he noticed that she always paid attention in the classes he never cared for.

"You did, too," Kyoya said, trying to act like he wasn't just screaming like a deranged lunatic. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were trying to find survivors," the girl said as Benkei put Kyoya down. "I'm Madoka. Madoka Amano. You're Kyoya Tategami, right?" As he shook her hand, Kyoya could tell by her bloodshot turquoise-blue eyes that she had been crying. Kenta too, it seemed.

"Mm-hm" was all Kyoya managed to get out before moving on. The three trailed behind him uncertainly.

"Did something happen, Kyoya?" Madoka asked him carefully. "You were acting like—"

"Everything's fine," he said abruptly.

Nobody said anything after that, afraid of any further awkwardness that a word could instill. But, of course, Benkei had to put in that irritating statement: "Well, this is awkward."

Kenta had to kick him.

"What? It's true!"

Kyoya maintained a steady pace by Benkei's shoulder. His friend was the only tie he had to his sanity, and he was afraid that if he wandered further away, the ghosts would come back.

"Oh, my stars..." Madoka gasped. Kyoya slowly walked through the large stone doorway, staring at the huge gap in the roof. The walls, the remainder of the ceiling, and the chunks of roof were blackened with dragon-fire and slick with rain, and all that could be seen and smelled are damp ashes. No shreds of cloth, no pieces of burned wood... no bodies. But somehow, he was relieved.

"This..." Benkei looked speechless. "This was Dolor?"

Kyoya couldn't really believe it himself. "It used to be so full of people," he said, feeling his throat tighten, as if he were about to cry. "But that dragon destroyed it."

No one commented, as if they could tell that he was upset.

The harbor next to the river—his old workplace—was also the perfect picture of destruction. The docks were giant splinters—the stone ground of the harbor cracked. The ships were half-sunken into the water—masts broken, gaping holes in the hull, torn sails, the strong scent of monsters still hanging in the moist air. The main office was nothing but a pile of debris.

He tried to ignore the ghosts.

It was a pain to climb up the hill towards the fortress, even though it was only a slight incline—the gash on his leg was throbbing painfully. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he sat down on a fallen boulder, pulled up his pants leg, and unwrapped the rough bandage. He wrinkled his nose as the smell of spoiled goat milk hit him full-on. He wished that he had paid more attention to his survival and medical classes.

"What happened to you?" Madoka gasped, rushing forward and opening the probably-improvised cloth pouch on her belt.

"I don't know when I got it," Kyoya said, trying to remember the previous night. "I never felt any pain until we got out of the village." He frowned, touching the dark green goo and the yellowish liquid that was seeping out. "Ugh. It's sticky! And there's pus!"

Benkei looked like he was about to throw up.

Madoka examined the wound, seemingly unaffected by the grossness of it all. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she pulled the drawstring to close the bag again. "I don't know what kind—"

"Did you happen to run into one of those giant ladybug-things?" Kenta asked.

Kyoya nodded.

"Their antennae are poisonous. You have to get some luxweed on that," the younger boy said. "but it's all the way out in the forest, and I don't know where exactly to find—"

"We have to look for other survivors." Kyoya gritted his teeth, replacing his bandages with fresh ones. He didn't want to continue forward, but he was determined to find someone—someone he could save.

"No!" Kenta said. "You could die at any time!"

But Kyoya was already up and walking up the path.

"Don't even try," he heard Benkei say. "Once Kyoya's got his mind set on something, he's not going to budge."

The moment he walked through the hole in the wooden gates, Kyoya wished that he _did_ budge. The courtyard marketplace—the legal one—was just as worse as the rest of the village. Since it was located behind the stone walls of the fortress, the stink of death was stronger, more concentrated. He wanted to throw up. His wound stung like hell—as it always did after he's exposed it to open air—and it took all of his willpower not to grimace, since the others were watching him.

It felt like he was trapped in a dream. Everything around him was eerily quiet and slow, even the vultures that were circling above the ruined village. Kyoya was about to turn around—he felt like he'd seen enough—when something disturbing caught his eye. It was right in front of them.

"Oh no..." Kenta muttered, eyes brimming with tears. Madoka gasped and cowered behind Benkei, who vomited onto the ground. Apparently, they've seen it too.

Kyoya scrambled backwards to stand beside his companions, feeling his meager breakfast of nothing rise up his throat. He held this sensation of nausea down, and focused on looking at his feet—not at the ghosts that were starting to appear, or the gruesome display of Fortissimus cruelty right in front of their eyes.

Even though he'd only caught a brief glimpse, the image had already been embedded in his mind for eternity.

Dead bodies were being suspended from a large wooden structure—similar to the gallows, but much larger. Larger corpses were piled around it. Heads were mounted on stakes. What made it worse was that Kyoya noticed that all of the bodies hanging from the gallows-like beams were bodies of children—boys, girls, infants...

_Never underestimate your enemy._

_They_ were mostly children. The ghosts were more visible here, and louder, until they were screaming, dragging Kyoya into their midst, tugging at him with their tiny translucent hands, pale eyes pleading, perhaps oblivious to the terror on their captive's face.

"_You survived..." _They were disbelieving.

"_Why didn't you save us?" _They were angry.

"_How..." _They were shocked.

"_Mommy? Daddy?" _They were lost.

"_What happened to me?" _They were scared.

A small girl grabbed the front of his shirt and looked up at him with sad eyes. _"Please..."_

"Kyoya! Kyoya, calm down!" More fingers wrapped around his arms and hands. He tried to shake them off. "Leave me alone!" he yelled. "Stop it! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Kyoya!" Someone slapped him. The blurriness in his eyes faded. The ghosts faded, including the little girl with the short hair and _sad eyes_. Madoka was crouching in front of him, her hand raised to slap again. She put it down. "Sorry, but you were screaming. Did..." She hesitated. "Did you see something? Are you alright?"

Kyoya shakily stood up from his crouched position and clenched his fists, turning away from the dead bodies. "It was nothing," he said, trying to steady his breathing. "Just my imagination."

No one questioned this—but they definitely were sure that he wasn't okay. They looked at him strangely, as if seeing not Kyoya Tategami, but a boy in need of help. And as they walked back down the hill in the pale light of dawn, Kyoya had a feeling that the little girl with the short hair and sad eyes was staring at him.

* * *

I was really into this chapter. Do you think that seeing ghosts _should_ be Kyoya's imagination, or some eerie ability, like a sixth sense?

Review please, and let me know if you liked it. I was personally a little creeped out by how this visit morphed into a glimpse of Kyoya's insecurity under my fingers. It was supposed to be only a visit!

I'm holding a poll in my profile about this story. Please vote!


	6. Allies

Thanks for reviewing, everyone! I really appreciated reading what you think of the story!

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

Sorry that I haven't updated in a long time... school's started. Gr...

* * *

The sun was a ways from noon, but was high enough to dapple the forest ground with shafts of golden light. The birds were chirping, the squirrels were chattering... and the village was destroyed. Yeah, Ryuga was pretty upset—his home was gone... _kablamo_! Well, at least he didn't die, so he was fine. The rain had snuffed out the flames a few days ago. He'd checked.

After exiting the village, he had made his way towards the willow tree he'd always kept his equipment in, like rope, extra bowstrings, and another game bag. He was quite at home in the forest, since he spent most of his free time in there. He felt rather bad about leaving Kyoya and Gingka in the village, though. They were probably dead already, which only made him feel worse.

The emotions that were bottled up inside of him were _very_ close to killing him from the inside—emotions like grief and guilt. Grief for his lost home, and guilt for leaving the two imbeciles to fend for themselves. Which was why he tried not to actually get to know people—if they died, he suffered greatly. Ryuga did a rather halfhearted inventory scan for the fourth time that day, just to cure the effects of boredom and take his mind off the images of the ruined village and its dead residents consuming his mind.

Food: All of the cooked meat was wrapped up in leaves, and the fruit was still a bit raw so it would last longer.

Medicinal Herbs: Check. No brown spots and whatnot.

Waterskin: … Ryuga made a mental note to refill it at the river.

Rope: A coil of it.

Bow: Oiled. Beeswax was applied to the bowstring. Ryuga touched the tiny lump on his arm and winced. He hated bees more than ever.

Arrows: Thirty-four in two large quivers. He'd lost sixteen in the invasion, which was a complete waste...

His thin black tunic and pants were relatively unscathed, leather boots still intact. His cloak was a little singed at the ends, and more than a little dirty, though, and that was rather disappointing—it had been a gift from the Sodos... in exchange for two squirrels. So, basically, it wasn't really a gift, but the Sodos considered it as one.

All of his burns and wounds have been treated with the herbs his father had taught him about, and he was as full and healthy as ever, which was good. He applied some more luxweed pulp to the swelling wound on his left wrist, slipped his leather armguard over it and laced it on, then slid his shooting glove over his right hand, over his index finger, middle finger, and ring finger.

Ryuga strung his bow effortlessly—oh-so-careful not to damage his precious weapon—and nocked an arrow. He let it fly, grinning at the whistling sound the arrow produced as it whistled through the air and embedded itself into the trunk of a tree. Satisfied, he gently pulled the arrow out of the trunk and stowed it away into one of his quivers.

He carefully packed his food, herbs, rope, the small canister of honey, and the chunk of beeswax into his game bag.

Then, with his bag, bow, and quivers slung over his shoulder, and hunting knife sheathed and secured to his belt, Ryuga was content to wander around the forest, appreciating the exercise. His wounds were hurting, but he kept going anyway, determined to kick the emotions away. He wished that it was as easy as launching an arrow, though.

He had no idea where to go, except that he wanted to get away from Ensis, away from Gaelleon—away from everything that reminded him of how much he suffered. The forest calmed down the raging inferno of emotion that was blazing inside of the teen's chest. Leaves from low-hanging boughs caressed his face—the fragrant smell of the wild was relaxing and reminded him of the good old days, back when he and his father used to come into the woods every day, laughing, making jokes, hunting, gathering, telling stories...

Back when his father was alive.

Ryuga froze at the edge of the river, still hidden in the foliage of the woods. He could hear voices. Familiar voices. Survivors.

Relief flooded through his body. He relaxed, glad that he wasn't the only one who made it out alive. But... he eyed the group in front of him with what he could describe as disgust. Because of all the people to run into, it just _had_ to be _them_.

The annoyingly nosy Gingka Hagane from Section G, who always made Ryuga want to push him off a cliff. At least he was alive, and didn't die after he'd left him and Kyoya behind.

The as-hotheaded-as-hell Kyoya Tategami, also from Section G, who was Ayumu's favorite student—or, at least, as close to a favorite student as he could get—and acted like he was better than everyone. At least he was alive, too.

The loud and boisterous purple-haired Benkei Hanawa from Section A, who could probably clean out the Sodo food stand in a couple of hours.

The goody-goody, Madoka Amano from the girl's side of Section A, who never got in trouble.

And... Kenta. Well... Ryuga was alright with Kenta. The kid was tougher than he looked—an expert on monsters and other magical creatures. He was impulsive and stubborn.

Most of the others probably wouldn't survive for another day. They all seemed famished, clothes dangling from their thin frames like willow boughs. Even Benkei—a big eater—looked skinnier than usual. Dark circles were under Kyoya's eyes—either he'd been having nightmares, or he had taken it upon himself to look after the others.

Unlike Ryuga. He was feeling rather good, grief and guilt put aside.

"We have to go to Goren," Kyoya was saying, then went on quickly, since the others looked like they were about to protest. "I know that Fortissimus will destroy that too, but it's better for us if we go there. We can't go any other way because Fortissimus is guarding the other towns they've... captured. Besides, I've heard from the merchants at the harbor that Sirius was taking in refugees. We're going to make it there."

"What good will _that_ do?" Kenta snapped. "They're going to capture Sirius anyway, so what's the point?"

"The point is that I want to help Gaelleon fight Fortissimus," Kyoya said. "I'll get into the army."

Silence.

That was a brave thing to even think of in Kyoya's part, Ryuga had to admit. However, it was madness. Only a complete idiot would set out for Sirius with the tiny hopes of being approved to register to be a soldier—if they made it there. Which was why Ryuga had to speak up—plus, he wanted to see the looks on their faces.

"You're crazy," he said.

They turned to stare at him, frozen. Gingka and Benkei's mouths dropped open. Madoka's eyes were as wide as saucers. Even Kyoya's blue eyes widened a bit.

Kenta had already latched himself onto Ryuga's leg.

Their expressions were priceless—Ryuga wanted to burst out laughing on the spot. But he didn't. Because that would be embarrassing. And mean... Nah, what was he thinking? He was always mean.

Kyoya had already gotten over his shock. "What do you mean by that?" he asked angrily.

"I can see a lot of _if_s in your plan, Tategami," Ryuga said, mimicking the criticizing tone that Ayumu used on them. He pried Kenta off his leg. "A lot of flaws. It's _if_ you make it to Sirius. _If_ you get into the army. _If_ you don't die first."

"We're not gonna die," Gingka said, his voice trembling. He turned to the apparent leader of the group. "Right, Kyoya?"

The green-haired swordsman nodded. "We won't. I'll make sure it never happens."

Ryuga smirked, feeling amused by his determination. Kenta wasn't the only bull-headed one in the bunch after all. "And how are you going to do that?" He casually placed his left index finger on the handle of his knife, and the others backed away a little. "The lot of you couldn't survive another day in the wilderness! It's only been six days, and you're all..." He gestured at them to emphasis his point.

"And you've been a _real_ help," Kyoya said.

"We haven't eaten anything but berries and... and water... and a fish!" Gingka screamed, grabbing at his fiery red hair and falling to his knees rather dramatically. "_A_ fish! As in, _one_ fish! Shared between all _five_ of us! I... I'm going insane!" He began to bawl like a baby.

"Would..." Benkei started timidly. "Would you happen to have some... food with you...? That... we could..."

Ryuga tossed his game bag at their feet. "Help yourselves." Gingka, Madoka, Kenta, and Benkei dived for it and opened the bag, grinning triumphantly as they pulled out the treasures within. Benkei was already shoving a chunk of cooked rabbit into his mouth. The purple-haired teen winced as Madoka pinched his ear. "Don't eat too much—you'll get stomachaches!"

"He should definitely join us, Kyoya!" Gingka said.

Kyoya looked skeptical, but thoughtful.

Ryuga didn't want to join their group—what a nightmare _that_ would be—but as the seconds whizzed by, he considered it. A plan was already forming in his mind. A plan seeking vengeance. This was what he wanted all along. Revenge. He was going to destroy the damn army—whatever the risks were. However, he didn't exactly know how to accomplish that by himself. Ryuga felt a grim smile tug at his lips. He shrugged. "Fine with me," he said. He fingered the fletching and nock of one of his arrows, stroking the smooth feathers between his thumb and forefinger. Kyoya raised an eyebrow, looking quite amusingly perplexed. "Give me a reason why we should trust you."

"Let's just say that I have a score to settle with Fortissimus... about my father. And I'm not going to hurt any of you." Ryuga stepped forward, taking his bow off his back. Kyoya drew his sword, only to watch in surprise as the older teen carefully placed his knife, bow, and quivers onto the ground, and held up his arms.

"You could skewer me now."

Kyoya sheathed his sword, still looking uncertain. "I see no reason why you couldn't join." His eyes flickered around wildly. Ryuga recognized this look. It was in the eyes of cornered game—of the villagers that were about to get killed by the Fortissimus. It was panic.

But before Ryuga could poke fun at him, the girl spoke up. "Sorry, Ryuga," Madoka said sheepishly. "We... We finished the food."

He was at her side in an instant, peering into his game bag. Except for the rope, medicine pouch, and beeswax, it was empty. Gingka was licking honey off his fingers.

Ryuga sighed. "Well..."

Kyoya whipped around to glare at them. "What? You... you... What the _hell_ were you imbeciles _thinking_?"

Benkei dropped the game bag, looking sheepish. "Oops."

Ryuga sensed a rant coming.

"I need to eat too, y'know!" Kyoya continued. "Especially since I've been suffering from that stupid ladybug wound for the last six days, and I've been trying my best to keep _you_ people alive! It's a wonder _I'm_ still alive to yell at you!" And he went on and on and on. Some of the comments he made were so ridiculous and amusing that Ryuga couldn't help laughing. And the ones with curse words in them _also_ made Ryuga laugh, because Madoka and Gingka had to scramble to cover Kenta's ears, not that they needed to.

Ryuga wanted to tell them that Kenta knew worse words than the ones Kyoya used, but he was sort of afraid that Madoka would go nuts-o on him. He'd seen her at lunchtime. The girl could fight—even bite—for her bread.

So after Kyoya finished yelling at them, _Madoka_ started yelling at Kyoya. When _she_ was done, the clearing went silent.

Ryuga waved a hand, picking up his weapons. "Whatever. I'll just get some more. Meanwhile," He flashed a pointed glance at Kyoya. "you'd better get that little cut of yours treated. There's some—"

"Luxweed!" Kenta crowed triumphantly, holding up a large sprig of the dark amethyst star-shaped leaves by their curly lavender stems. "These could heal you, Kyoya!"

Ryuga felt a side of his mouth quirk into a rather amused smirk at Kenta's enthusiasm—despite all that happened, the boy had recovered quickly. He turned around and let the cool shade of the woods engulf him, drawing an arrow out of his quiver—feeling a relaxing sensation pulse through his being as he drew back the bowstring.

* * *

Review, please!


	7. A Survivor

I feel like I haven't updated in like, FOREVER!

Thanks for reviewing, everyone! I really appreciated reading what you think of the story! Hope you enjoy this little chappie!

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever.

I don't know how violent this story's going to get, so I think I'll keep it as a T.

* * *

Gingka may have been the one to suggest that Ryuga join their group, but that didn't mean that he trusted him—far from it. He still remembered when the older teen had left Gingka and Kyoya back in Ensis to fend for themselves against the snakes. Actually, Kyoya had told them—except for Kenta because the kid was loyal to Ryuga—not to trust the archer.

Hunger was a vicious type of danger. But Ryuga walked them through it—hunting for them, and pointing out the best places to gather berries, roots, wild greens, and herbs to treat their injuries with. However, he forgot—or didn't bother—to tell them which plants were both edible and dangerous. Benkei sported several more burns on his hands and wrists after touching the stems and leaves of wild parsnips.

Otherwise, the archer was quite helpful. He was a wonderful addition to their little group.

And... Gingka had moved him down his "Selfish People" list. Ryuga was now Number 2. Next to the entire Fortissimus army.

It was one cold night—three nights after Ryuga had joined their little group as their "caretaker," according to Madoka. Everyone was full and healthy. Kyoya had announced that they would set off for Goren the next morning, but no one was asleep yet, except maybe Kenta.

Gingka was content. He'd eaten more than he had in the last few days of starvation. Sure, he was grateful for Ryuga's help, but he missed good food, such as the assorted mix of ingredients—beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onion slices, goat cheese, and strips of pig meat between two chunks of bread—that Kyoya used to buy from... Actually, now that he thought about it, Kyoya never told him where he got that dish, which tasted quite delicious...

It was a depressing subject for Gingka.

Anyway, Gingka himself was freezing—nights were always cold in Ensis, and possibly all of Gaelleon. He felt Madoka and Kyoya shivering on either side of him. Even with himself, Madoka, Benkei, Kenta, Kyoya huddled together, it was still frustratingly chilly. He couldn't imagine how cold Ryuga was. Kenta had invited him to join, but Ryuga had made a face and declined, rudely adding that he wasn't going to "hug anyone." The archer was sitting in a branch of a willow tree, shivering despite the fact that his white cloak was wrapped around his body so tightly that Gingka was afraid he'd suffocate himself.

"Still don't want to join us?" he asked Ryuga. "You must be freezing!"

The older teen glared at him, yellow eyes flashing dangerously, then huffed and wrapped his legs more tightly around the tree branch, burying his chin into the fabric of his cloak. Gingka sighed, whilst Kyoya and Madoka shook their heads in what could be described as amusement. Gingka only knew a couple of stubborn people—Kyoya and Ayumu and Kenta. He added Ryuga to the list.

Gingka felt fatigue taking his limbs, and his eyelids growing heavy.

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but when he came to, it was still dark. But everyone else was up and moving around, even Ryuga, who was shivering rather uncontrollably. Gingka sat up, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Why didn't any of you wake me?"

"You'd be useless," Ryuga said, sitting down next to the fire and rummaging through a pile of leaves.

"Be nice, Ryuga," Madoka said. Then, she turned to Gingka. "We _did_ try to wake you, Gingka, but you wouldn't wake up. Plus, you kicked Benkei in the face." She pointed to the large teen, who glared at him. He had a nasty-looking bruise on his nose.

Gingka smiled sheepishly. "So what's the big fuss about?" he asked Kenta. The younger boy pointed to a figure lying on the ground on top of Kyoya's cloak beside Ryuga. Gingka stepped closer, tentatively kneeling next to the person.

She was a girl—the firelight revealed short waves of pale hair adorned with white patches. There was a large, nasty burn mark on the right side of her face—which Ryuga was smearing with a dark goo—and her body was covered in blotches. Gingka quickly turned away, blushing at the realization that the girl was naked. He heard Ryuga snort back a laugh.

"W-What are you laughing at?" Gingka growled, turning around—and trying not to look at the patient—to see a mischievous smirk on the older teen's face.

"You" was Ryuga's answer. He scooped another blob off the leaf that lay in front of him and carefully applied it to the girl's chest and stomach. Gingka gaped at him in shock—even though he knew that Ryuga was just making fun of him—as the archer continued, "You're so sensitive. That's not a good quality in a warrior—especially a beginning _swordsman_." He spat out the word "swordsman" as if it was a disgusting substance.

Gingka didn't like the fact that Ryuga had insulted him—thrice in a single sentence, which was impressive, but just like Ryuga.

"Aren't you uncomfortable that she's not wearing anything?" Gingka asked, pulling his arms into his tunic sleeves to keep warm. "Or do you just like looking at her?" he added teasingly. Kenta and Benkei snickered, whilst Madoka looked miffed and glared at Ryuga's back—or was she glaring at Gingka? Kyoya smirked, showing off a sharp fang.

"Hell no." Ryuga looked indifferent. "We're all human, so what does it matter if I see her naked?"

Madoka blinked. "B-But... that's... ugh! Male and female humans aren't the same!" she snapped.

"Then why didn't you try to stop me?"

"Because you were already taking care of her when I woke up!"

"I haven't slept properly since I ran into you people!" Ryuga scowled. "I would've happily left her in your care."

Gingka felt somewhat horrible. They have been too dependent on the archer. He hadn't complained about it... until now. "Why didn't you tell us then?" Kenta asked, voicing Gingka's thoughts. The green-haired boy looked upset; after all, Ryuga was his mentor—he was the one who helped him become a better warrior.

Ryuga shrugged.

Madoka shifted her hands awkwardly. "Alright, maybe I was kind of scared. I'm not used to those kinds of injuries," she said.

"Or maybe you were too lazy," Ryuga said, wiping his hands on a leaf and wrapping the girl's body in Kyoya's cloak.

Madoka growled. "Jerk."

Kenta leaned over and peered at the girl's face. "Hey... isn't that Hikaru Hasama?"

"Lord Hasama's daughter?" Kyoya scoffed. "The brat who almost ran over me with her stupid horse? Tch. I really don't like her."

Gingka nodded, amused by the memory. "Yeah." He laughed hysterically. "You should have seen your face! It was like—AGH!" He formed an imitation of Kyoya—eyes wide, irises and pupils shrunken into slits, mouth open in a strangled whimper.

Kenta, Madoka, Gingka, and Benkei burst out in gales of laughter, whilst Kyoya's expression darkened.

"I did _not_ look like that!"

"Actually," Benkei said. "You did. I was there."

"Shut up, Benkei. That's not funny."

"You should make that face more often, 'Tategami,'" Ryuga said, smirking as he took the string of his bow between his thumb and index finger, which were supporting two small chunks of what Gingka could perceive as some kind of wax. "It brings out your inner chicken." He started running the bowstring between his fingers.

Kyoya scowled at him. "No one asked for your opinion."

"And no one asked for yours." The archer never looked up from his partly-slick bowstring.

"You know what?" Kyoya yelled, raising a fist. "I freaking _hate_ you!"

"Bring it on, little man!" Ryuga stood up.

Yes, Ryuga was still the eccentric, self-centered jerk they all knew and hated.

* * *

Note that Kyoya's so temperamental and sensitive in this story because his character hasn't been developed yet. He has yet to experience more extreme hardships.

Sorry for the modern language-I know that this is a more medieval type of world, but heh...

Review please!

P.S. There's no RyugaxHikaru in this story... yet. Probably. Likely... Unlikely. X3

Mr. Krabs, I'm so confused!

My brother's making me watch Spongebob Squarepants.


	8. Setting Out

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever, which is a good thing. So why am I upset?

Sorry I took so long to update, guys. My mom changed the password again. Said I was being too irresponsible. -.-

* * *

Kyoya believed—with all his heart—that inviting Ryuga into the group was one of Gingka's worst ideas yet.

Scratch that. It _was_ Gingka's worst idea yet. Kyoya had known right from the start that the archer would be trouble. He was selfish, stubborn, and very difficult to talk to. And that wasn't even half of it. He tried to shoot Gingka in the butt with an arrow, but fortunately, Kenta had pointed out a duck swimming in the river, so Ryuga killed that instead.

Kyoya hated how the gold-eyed young man always stayed calm even in dire situations, such as when Ensis was being invaded. Or when an armored snake slithered into camp, and they had to dodge the trees that it knocked over with its tail before they could kill it, which was also hard, since it was an old and experienced fighter, complete with rock-hard clear eyelids that protected its eyes from being pierced by a blade or an arrow, and armor plates that were closer to its body.

Yes, the blue-eyed teen hated that trait of Ryuga's.

Sure, the older teenager hunted for them, took care of them, and pretty much got them back into traveling shape, but he was still a damn pain in the neck.

Kyoya stared at the riverbank, where the damn pain in the neck was filling up his waterskin.

_Okay, maybe not Gingka's worst idea yet_, Kyoya mused as he stroked the bandage on his leg. It only ached slightly.

Kenta had told Kyoya the side effects of the ladybug-beast poison. Fatigue was one. Pain was also on the list. But not once has the brown-eyed boy mentioned hallucinations. When the luxweed was applied to his wound, it partly healed him. And he could hear the ghosts again—they were muffled, though. He couldn't see them—just their outlines and occasionally their mouths.

However, he couldn't panic in front of Gingka and the others. He had taken responsibility over the entire group—he was the unofficial leader. They couldn't see him break down. Especially Ryuga. No, not Ryuga. He had to show the older teen that he could be strong.

But if he was going mad...

"It was an extremely kind act you did—helping me," Hikaru said, bowing her head. Her pale blue hair—which used to be longer before the flames of the invasion burned three-quarters of it off—hugged her face in short, spiky curls. One thing that didn't change about her hair was that it was still unruly—long or short. "I cannot thank you enough, er..." She paused, looking embarrassed as she pulled on the sleeves of the dress that Madoka had given her. "I apologize... What may be your names? I only know Madoka Amano and Ryuga Kishatu."

"No need for formalities here, Hikaru," Kyoya said, then added, "I'm Kyoya Tategami. The big guy with the white hat over there is Benkei Hanawa, and the short one with the knife is named Kenta Yumiya. The redhead with the ridiculous blue scrap of cloth wrapped around his forehead is Gingka Hagane." He went back to polishing his sword. "Now you know our names."

Hikaru was silent for a while, and Kyoya could hear nothing but the river water rushing by, and the murmuring of the misty ghosts in his ear. "Thanks, again," Hikaru said. "I'm glad to be alive. My name is Hikaru Hasama."

"We already know that." Kyoya had a feeling that she just wanted a conversation.

"I wanted to make a proper introduction." Her amethyst gaze flickered to the riverbank and stayed there.

"We don't do proper introductions," Kyoya said, sliding his broadsword into his scabbard. He noticed that a certain yellow-eyed teen had wandered off. "I know that this is coming out of nowhere, but how do you know Ryuga?" Her attention was turned back to him—a flustered expression and a red blush on her face. Kyoya couldn't stop a sly smirk from creeping onto his face, pleased by the fact that he had caught her off guard.

_Payback time._

"I _don't_!" she yelled.

Madoka awkwardly glanced towards them, then resumed cutting the rabbit meat with Ryuga's knife.

Benkei—who was munching on a cooked fish—was frozen in mid-bite. Gingka looked up from his sparring session with Kenta, allowing the smaller boy to quickly hit the redhead's sword hand with the butt of his knife. Gingka yelped and dropped his weapon. "Rematch!" he told Kenta.

"You should've been paying attention."

Everyone went back to what they were doing.

"I... um..." Hikaru stammered. "I've only... heard about him. Around town. His father died in the war. Ryuga... uh... he's an archer, and a hunter. The people of Dolor call him the best, but... but I'll believe it when I see it!" She crossed her arms, seeming quite frustrated with herself as she tried to regain her composure.

"You go to Dolor?" Kyoya asked, surprised. _Huh, maybe she's not as prissy as I thought..._

"Only once," she answered. "That was when I actually came face-to-face with Ryuga. I purchased a doe—"

Ryuga emerged from the trees, water dripping from his white-and-red hair, which was bent at the tips, and his bangs were plastered flat to his face. Madoka and Hikaru blushed and covered their eyes, because yes, he was naked. His clothes were clutched to his chest, and there was a wide gash that split the skin on his left shoulder, with a steady stream of blood trickling out of it.

"What's wrong?" Kyoya unsheathed his sword.

"Monster!"

_What?_

"Hyah!" Kenta threw his knife. The weapon tore through the air like an arrow and buried itself hilt-deep into the skull of a horse-sized reddish-brown squirrel behind Ryuga. The oversized rodent fell to the ground, dead. The red glow in its eyes faded. Ryuga jumped back to avoid getting flattened under the beast.

The archer nudged the squirrel's head with a bare, muddy foot, scrunching up his nose. "I knew I should've brought my bow and arrows," he grumbled.

"No kidding." Kenta bent over the squirrel and plucked his knife from its head. He held the blade away from himself, grasping the end of the handle with his fingertips—most of it was covered in blood. "This thing could've killed you! See the claws?"

"Yeah, I see 'em." Ryuga tightened his grip around his clothes.

Kyoya examined the sharp shards of bone that protruded from the dead animal's paws like tree branches. They seemed to be about six inches long each—edges chipped, dirty, and unkempt. "These could make good knives," he said mischievously.

"Don't even think about it!" Hikaru's face turned green, and Madoka and Benkei just looked sick. Ryuga shuddered.

Several faceless ghosts gathered around the squirrel's body, murmuring against themselves. Kyoya managed to catch a few sentences like, "Poor thing," and "Tch. Served her right," and "Will somebody get some clothes on that boy?"

Kyoya thought that the scene before him would have been hilarious... if it weren't for the squirrel blood pooling around his feet.

"Ugh! Gross!"

* * *

"We've been stuck here for too long now," Kyoya announced at the campfire that night. "We have to start moving if we want to get to Sirius before Fortissimus does."

"Relax, Tategami," Ryuga scoffed. "Fortissimus only attacks a village to scare the king—whatever his name is—"

"King Hayato," Hikaru said.

"Whatever!" he growled. "My point was that if Hayato doesn't surrender, the enemy will keep attacking until they have vanquished us all. Many will die. But there are other things to worry about now, like Benkei's cold." He glared at Benkei—who grinned sheepishly—and continued. "They're a few hundred miles away from Sirius, and—OW!" He flinched.

Madoka gently applied some more medicine to the wound on his back. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Ryuga took some more deep breaths and curled up into a ball, gasping in pain.

Kenta gulped down a large chunk of roasted-mutant-squirrel-on-a-stick, staring at Ryuga worriedly. "I heard from the marketplace that each group usually takes like, weeks to assemble their troops. You know how hard it is to herd a bunch of soldiers, mutants, monsters, dragons, and other creatures into a well-organized what's-it-called that is ready to invade a large village?"

_Blech..._ Managing Gingka, Ryuga, Benkei, Kenta, Madoka, and Hikaru—as well as himself and the ghosts—was a painful enough headache.

Kyoya shuddered.

"Exactly," the brown-eyed boy said.

"But Goren is several miles away!" Hikaru argued. "If we want to arrive by walking, we must set out immediately. Fortissimus travel by means of flight, and quick-footed beasts. I have seen how much damage they can do—my father has taken me to a few of the destroyed villages. Even if they do take their time healing and celebrating, they will still move on. And we have to be ready for them."

Kyoya nodded. "So it's settled. We leave at dawn."

* * *

YES! The adventure begins!


	9. First Day

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE.**

DAMN IT! I keep on seeing mistakes here, and I keep having to correct them and add on some more details. When I'm done with this story, I'm redoing it.

Please excuse Ryuga's language. He gets scared.

Ryuga: I do not!

Me: Yes, you do.

* * *

The white-and-red-haired teen glanced over to the other side of the clearing at Kyoya, who was staring at the rising sun. Although it was still quite dark, the other group members were already packing up the things needed for the long journey ahead of them. Everyone had pitched in to hunt and gather food, and skin the game to gain materials for Madoka to be able to make bags to carry their supplies.

He did one last inventory scan, making sure that he had a lot of flint, beeswax, extra provisions, a full waterskin with no leaks, and the rope. Well, forget the rope—Gingka was carrying that. The redhead had kept shifting and breathing quite loudly the previous night, so he had received several glares—mainly from Kyoya, who had been lying next to him. Finally, the green-haired teen just got up and moved to the other side of the clearing—a smart move on Kyoya's part.

"We're almost ready to go." Ryuga felt a familiarly small hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up at Kenta, whose large brown eyes were dominated with one emotion—worry.

"Yeah."

The boy smiled, but Ryuga knew that it was fake. "I never thought I'd leave this place." He stared at the knife in his hands, slipped it into its worn brown leather scabbard, and tied it to his belt. "Ensis, and now this camp. So many memories. Mostly bad memories, but still memories."

Kenta was just a child.

Ryuga patted his companion's head and picked up his bow from where it lay next to him.

Both of them stood and made their way towards Madoka. The brunette was carefully placing bundles of dried food into a large sack. She handed it to Benkei—who beamed eagerly and peered into the food container—and added, "Try not to eat anything yet."

The large teen flashed her a sheepish grin and slung the bag over his shoulder. He was holding a chunk of rabbit jerky and had already bitten off half of it. "The key word is 'try,'" he informed her.

"Benkei!" Madoka turned to Ryuga and Kenta. "I'm so nervous," she told them, biting her lip. "I barely slept last night."

"Me too," Kenta said.

Ryuga drew one of his beloved arrows from his quiver and ran a finger along its smooth wooden shaft, examining the tiny scratches that peppered the surface here and there. He gently placed his finger onto the arrowhead's sharp tip. "Why do I feel like we're walking into our graves?"

Benkei glared at him. "Are you always this pessimistic?"

"Um, where have you been for the last two weeks, Benkei?" Madoka scoffed, rolling her eyes. "This is _Ryuga_ we're talking about."

"Oh, right."

"All set?" Gingka asked them. Kyoya and Hikaru were fidgeting beside him—all three seemed impatient to embark on the very journey that may get them killed.

"We go east, right?" Kyoya asked Hikaru. He looked like he was going to go nuts if they didn't get moving. "Mm-hm," the blue-haired girl said. "We just need to follow the path that leads to Goren, but if we get lost, we go in the direction of the rising sun."

Ryuga looked around, and for the very first time, noticed how many of them there were, and how scared everyone else looked. Out of the seven, he, Kyoya, and Kenta—no matter how wimpy the boy looked—were the only ones who knew how to take care of themselves. He wondered how many of them were going to make it to Goren alive—if any of them survive at all.

The entire group was silent, as if each member was thinking the same thing. Then, as if by silent communication, they trudged into the woods. Ryuga made sure that both of his quivers were secured on his back, and that he could reach his arrows easily.

They tramped through the forest for several minutes. The vegetation began to look singed until the group was walking beneath the blackened skeletons that used to be majestic trees. Kenta, Madoka, Hikaru, and Benkei had to be helped over the enormous tree trunks that had fallen in Fortissimus' rampage. The ground had been turned into fine gray ash. Every now and then, someone's foot would get lodged in a crevice or a bone. Gingka had it worse—he had fallen into a shallow crater that was probably made by a boulder, or a giant fist.

Ryuga felt a pang in his heart for what has become of his old hunting grounds—the hunting grounds that he used to share with his father.

Hikaru screamed as she crashed into something, and Kyoya wrapped his arms around her to pull her away from it. Ryuga stepped closer, eyes widening as he recognized the slightly charred body of a human being, dangling from the boughs of a dead tree by a tangle of ropes. He heard the others scampering away.

_I think I've seen this guy somewhere before... _The realization settled, and Ryuga took a step back, recognizing the stringy hair and rugged appearance, and the dragon tooth on a leather cord around his neck. Kyoya appeared beside him and jerked his head at the rotting body of a goblin in the dead human's hands. "He went down fighting."

Ryuga tried to ignore the lump in his throat as he turned away, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger. "His duty was to make sure that the people got out safely."

"He was arrogant," Kyoya said. "But he didn't back down, and I respect him for that. The army found the safe place anyway."

"I thought he'd make it out."

"What's happened happened, Ryuga. Nothing can change that, so there's no use crying over it."

Ryuga snorted. "I'm not crying over it—I just said that I thought he'd make it out."

Small footsteps pounded towards them, cracking branches and bones. "I wonder how many others surv—" Kenta froze at the sight. "Is that...?" He looked close to tears. Ryuga grabbed the boy's head and steered him away. "We need to build a memorial for him, or something!" Kenta begged. His voice had gotten louder, as if his sanity had just snapped and he had just realized how many had died. "We can't just leave him there! Why did we leave everyone else there? Why didn't we bury them?"

"We can't, Kenta," Kyoya said. "All we could do is avenge them."

He turned away. Ryuga stared at Ayumu's corpse. "I'll avenge you, Ayumu."

"Who was that?" Benkei asked as the three rejoined the group.

Kyoya's eyes turned sad. "Ayumu."

No one spoke after that, and they continued to trudge forward, feet slower and heavier. Ryuga found himself stumbling over his own two feet every once in a while. Although he hated Ayumu, the older man had certain qualities he admired—bravery, wits, and the ability to shove a pound of pork into his mouth by dislocating his jaw. Ayumu's brother was killed in the war, so they had more in common than Ryuga had thought. He was going to miss fighting with his teacher.

As the sky started to turn from dark blue to the pink, purple, and white that is dawn, they never stopped. Ryuga could almost see the grim determination that the others possessed. The trees of the forest started to thin out, and they stepped onto the dirt road, which—much to Kyoya's obvious distaste—was vandalized. Of course.

And to make matters worse, the signs that directed travelers to their destinations had been torn down at the crossroads.

"This is horrible!" Gingka exclaimed, staring at what lay in front of them. "The Arcus Road was Ensis' pride and joy—it took years to build it!"

"I know," Madoka said. "It's practically an artifact—it's been around longer than my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather!" Ryuga remembered the road's former glory—a quarter of a mile wide, paved with stones of all colors—black, gray, white, pink, blue, purple, red, green, orange, yellow... with different shines and tones... it was like a rainbow, and travelers marveled at it. Some of the stones had been imported from Gaelleon's neighboring country, Vienedour.

Now, Ensis' Arcus Road was destroyed.

"Which one leads to Goren?" Ryuga could tell by the tone of his voice that Kyoya was about to crack. The younger teen's eyes were darting around once again, and his breathing had quickened.

Hikaru pointed to the road at their far left. "That—"

Suddenly, an almost-deafening screech pierced the air as something large swooped down from the brightening sky like an arrow, jaws open and revealing rows of sharp teeth. Ryuga felt the beast's foul breath on his back as the snout of winged snake crashed into the road, sending chunks of debris flying. He barely managed to dodge it, landing on all fours on the ground before he got up and ran for his life. The ground shook as the rest of the gigantic reptile's body landed. The furious monster spat, getting rid of the soil and stones that had gotten into its mouth, then whipped around and took to the skies once more.

Ryuga rolled out of the way just as the snake's tail felled several burnt trees, one of which landed on the exact same spot he had been crouching on.

"Ryuga!" Madoka screamed shrilly. Ryuga spotted her, Kyoya, Benkei, Kenta, and Hikaru across the road. They were barely visible, but he could make out the distinguishing colors of their clothes and hair. _Where's Kenta?_

And he saw him. The green-haired boy was sprawled on the road a few yards away from the other side of the road, barely hidden behind a slab of white rock. He was clutching his ankle, his face contorted in pain.

Ryuga was poised to run for his young companion when the snake's enormous feathered wings cast a dark shadow over the ruins of the road. Heart frantically pounding in his chest, he prepared to shoot an arrow, taking comfort in the soundless click of the nock securing itself onto the nocking point.

He drew back the firm bowstring and slowed his breathing.

_Release..._

As soon as the shrill screech erupted from the winged snake's throat, Ryuga knew that he had hurt it. Kyoya was already picking up Kenta and was gesturing for... what was he trying to...?

"RUN!" Kyoya finally yelled.

The beast had recovered from the arrow and turned towards the source of the projectile.

_Aw, shit_.

Ryuga started running. He quickly nocked another arrow and shot it skywards, not even bothering to aim. Then, he felt something clamp onto his cloak, and his feet were lifted off the ground. Curses flew out of his mouth like a raging river.

_I'm going to fucking die, I'm going to fucking die, I'm going to fucking die... FUCK!_

He was _not_ about to die on the first day of traveling!

He twisted his body around, grabbed the scales on the snake's upper jaw with one hand, and unfastened his cloak with the other. He grabbed his dagger from its sheath on his hip and plunged it repeatedly into a chink in the snake's scales, drawing black blood.

Suddenly, he was falling...

Down... down... down...

And into the blackened tangle of tree branches. Which gave way and dropped him on the ground. Which hurt, badly.

_Aw, shit..._

* * *

"Ow... my back..." Suddenly, his eyes flew open to find Hikaru staring into his face. "Are you alright?" she blurted out. Ryuga took several labored breaths and prodded his chest, wincing at the spongy areas that signaled broken ribs. He was covered with a cloak, and he felt the icy cold feeling of the healing herbs on his injuries. His body was burning, covered in scratches and bruises.

"... No..."

"That snake's gone. You've been out for a while."

_Out? But... I... I thought... It didn't feel like..._ He tried to sit up, but his body protested, and he had to lie back down. "How... how long? Where are we?"

"A couple of days. We're still next to the Arcus Road."

"W-What?" His eyes flew open. "We have to keep going!"

Kyoya's voice cut him off. "You and Kenta are injured. You have to recover."

"But... but..."

"Rest..." Hikaru murmured, gently placing a hand on his forehead.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the blanket of sleep engulf his consciousness.

* * *

I just want to let **azure blue espeon** know that yes, Nile, Tsubasa, and Yu play big parts in this story, and I'm really excited to write about them. I won't give away too much, but Tsubasa's one of the most important characters. Tee-hee...

Tsubasa: What are you up to?

Me: Nothin'.

Tsubasa: You're not gonna kill me, are you?

Me: No! Then I'd feel bad! And I'd have a bunch of anger-crazed fans on my tail. No, I only kill my OCs, which makes me sad because I grow attached to every single one of them.

Tsubasa: What about Dan and Reiki?

Me: I never confirmed that they died.

Tsubasa: So you're just concerned about your reputation.

Me: Who wouldn't be?

Tsubasa: Ryuga.

Me: YOU SHUT UP OR I WILL MURDER YOU!

Team Wang Hu Zhong, Team Excalibur, Team Starbreakers, and Team Garcias will be included too, as well as a lot of other major characters. I'm trying to squeeze in most of the characters in this story because I'm tired of leaving them out of my other Fanfics, and I feel so bad! DX


	10. A Duck

**DISCLAIMER**: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE

* * *

It has been four days since the group had left their campsite, and Kenta and Ryuga were as healthy as ever—well, Ryuga's deeper wounds were still healing, but he was progressively better than he was when he fell out of the sky and into a tree. They had been traveling little by little each day—as Kenta and Ryuga had insisted—and no one was even sure how much further Goren was. They stayed away from the roads, in fear of being spotted by Fortissimus soldiers, or Gaelleon authorities who might slow them down.

Everyone in the group was in high spirits.

Well, not Ryuga—he was still depressed over the loss of thirteen arrows and his hunting knife, and the barely-there damage inflicted on his bow when he had dropped it to run, as well as the fact that he was not allowed to use his bow due to some of the deeper wounds still healing.

In Gingka's point of view, the archer was being a whiner baby.

However, despite the fact that he was glad that his companions have recovered, Gingka was arguing with himself. After all, they had been attacked by a gigantic winged snake, and two of their best fighters got injured, on the _very first_ day. So, yes, he would have to be a fool or an optimist not to have any doubts about the entire journey at all.

Currently, they were walking—or in Kenta's case, being carried by Benkei, as he was not supposed to strain his foot—in a steady, but not too rapid, pace as they slowly, but surely, made their way to Goren.

"Hikaru," Gingka said.

The blue-haired girl—the group's official navigator—turned to him as she hopped upon a particularly gnarly tree root. "Yes, Gingka?"

"How far is Goren from Ensis?"

"I would say a three day's travel on horseback, or a week's travel on foot..."

Gingka grinned. "That doesn't seem so bad."

"It depends if we run into anyone... or anything," she added with a glance at Ryuga. Her violet eyes flashed with anxiety, and something else... Gingka couldn't quite put a finger on it. "I'm not sure I can handle it if anyone gets hurt."

Gingka nodded. "Me neither."

Suddenly, Kyoya's voice cut through the air like a knife. "I could hear the river. It's just up ahead."

Gingka strained his ears, trying to listen, but heard nothing. "You sure have a good ear, Kyoya. I can't hear it at all." He hoped that there really was a river ahead of them—their water supply was gone, he hadn't seen a good water source in days, and he was _thirsty_.

The older teen glanced over his shoulder. "You can't hear it? Huh."

When they arrived at the river several minutes later, Gingka yanked off his shirt and boots, and jumped into the cold, clear water and plunged his head in, drinking to his heart's content and splashing water everywhere. "Water!" he yelled. He sat on the slippery brown river floor, trying not to get swept away by the strong current. "Fresh, sweet, precious water!"

"You're so immature," he heard Hikaru mutter. She and Madoka knelt down and began to refill the waterskins whilst Benkei picked up the sharpened stick he'd been using as a spear and set off to scout the area for potential threats, Kyoya trailing not far behind him. Kenta slowly eased himself on a rock next to the river, slid off his shoes, and dipped his feet in the water, using his hands to scoop up water and throw some at Gingka. Finally, Gingka just pulled the smaller boy into the water.

"Gingka!" Kenta sputtered. He took off his belt and tunic. "You're so gonna get it!" he said.

Gingka struggled to get away from his friend's wrath. However, both boys were careful—because of Kenta's leg, he just sat in the shallow areas and tried not to move, giving Gingka an unfair advantage. Madoka and Hikaru eventually joined their little water-fight, followed by Benkei.

Kyoya and Ryuga—ever the mature ones—sat by on the shore and watched, occasionally picking up stones and skipping them across the calmer parts of the river.

"Come on in, you guys!" Madoka yelled. "The water's great!"

Ryuga shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Kyoya, however, smirked and took off his shirt, belt, and boots, and waded into the river. He immediately splashed his way towards Kenta and dunked the younger boy's head underwater.

* * *

The group set up camp underneath a large willow tree just a few yards away from the river, concealing themselves underneath the long leaves and letting the moon, stars, and the dozens of tiny fireflies light up their surroundings. The night was hot and humid—Gingka had to take off his undershirt, leaving only his oversized vest as his upper body wear, whilst Kyoya, Kenta, and Benkei suffered due to their long sleeves.

Kenta grinned from his seat on the tree's root—his face lit up by blue firefly lights—content with the hearty meal that had been prepared. "I've never had so much fun in a long time."

"Agreed," Gingka said, trying to catch one of the fireflies, so far, with no good results. He was standing on a rock, thinking that it could give him an advantage. However, the fireflies just didn't seem to like him at all that much, which was frustrating.

"Makes me miss that pond in Ensis even more," Benkei chimed in, sighing.

"Ugh—did you have to remind us?" Madoka groaned, flopping onto her back on the ground with a big sigh as well. Personally, Gingka agreed with her—he did not need to be reminded of what has once been his home.

Benkei blushed. "Sorry."

"Well, we're some of the few survivors of Ensis," Hikaru pointed out, brushing her blue curls with her fingers. "So, maybe we should try to keep the memory of our city alive." She turned to Ryuga. "Did you used to swim in that pond, too?"

"No," the archer said indifferently as he squinted, examining his bow under the dim blue lights. "I suppose you never had, either."

"Never," Hikaru admitted.

"We should get some sleep," Kyoya said. "We have a long day tomorrow."

He had been quiet for so long that Gingka had forgotten he was even with them.

As everyone else laid down to sleep, Gingka stared at the firefly flitting around his face and cupped it between his hands, grinning as it crawled over his palms and fingers, leaving tickling sensations. It flexed its wings a few times, its light never wavering once.

The blue fireflies drifted around the banks of the river in an ethereal dance, turning the leaves of the willow tree blue-green, like water.

Gingka was tempted to stand up and dance along with them.

* * *

"There are some stepping stones right over there," Kyoya said, pointing to some rocks protruding from the surface of the water right before a gentle slope. The group was about to set out on their journey once again.

Ryuga's amber eyes were narrowed and suspicious as he stared across the river and into the shadows of the woods beyond, as if studying them. Suddenly, his gaze turned darker. "I say we walk a few more miles, then cross."

"Don't be stupid, Ryuga," Kyoya said. "It's too early to go into the water. Besides, Kenta can't swim—because of his leg, and because he never learned, remember?"

"I'm fine, you guys!" Kenta protested.

"We could wade across the river—it's barely waist-deep," Ryuga said through clenched teeth. "One of us could carry Kenta."

"Hey!"

"And risk catching cold?" Kyoya snapped back. "I say we get our butts on the other side while the sun's still up to dry our clothes!"

"We could slip on the rocks and fall into the river!"

"Ryuga," Gingka said, uncomfortable that his companions were arguing. Plus, the others were too nervous to dare to cut into the argument between the two warriors. "Maybe we should just cross now. The rocks seem safe enough, and who knows what's ahead?"

"Oh, sure, take his side!"

"I'm not—"

"Just... whatever." Ryuga picked up his bow. "But I have a bad feeling about this..."

They crossed the stones, with only a few close calls with Benkei and Kenta, but they managed to get to the other side of the river. Kyoya sent a triumphant look Ryuga's way. "See? We crossed this way, and nothing bad happened."

The archer muttered something that nobody seemed to hear as the group once again plunged into the shadowy forest. The trees towered over them, the branches much too high to reach from the ground, but the leaves at the top were thin and let sunlight pass, lighting their way.

They have been walking for about five minutes when...

_Hissssss..._

A duck.

That was pretty much the closest description that Gingka could give the tiny, auburn-feathered bird before them, which had to be the ugliest bird ever. Its beady red eyes blinked.

Now, Gingka wished that Kyoya had taken Ryuga's advice.

Another slow hiss came out of the duck's muck-green bill, which was lined with crooked yellow fangs the size of Kenta's pinkie fingernail. Something behind the bird hissed as well, and Gingka was surprised to see a small brown cobra rise into sight, waving from side to side menacingly. Gingka hoped that it would eat the duck, but instead, it leaned forwards so that its head was right above the duck's, and it spat a clear liquid out of its fangs. The substance landed on Hikaru's right shoe, and immediately, the sturdy leather began to disintegrate until the entire shoe was gone.

Hikaru looked down at her foot, which was already starting to swell and redden. Ugly blisters popped up all over the dark skin slowly, starting from the spot that the acid had landed on. The blue-haired girl's breathing quickened as she opened her mouth to scream.

But before a single sound could pass Hikaru's lips, Kenta jumped up and clamped a hand over her mouth and put the other on her neck. Hikaru reflexively hunched her shoulders and tried to pry Kenta off her. "Whatever you do," Kenta whispered, his mouth barely moving; "make no sudden movements. It's an Interfectorum Avis—Assassination Bird."

Hikaru's eyes were brimming with tears.

Ignoring Kenta's warning, Ryuga pulled an arrow from his quiver and loaded his bow without taking his eyes off the Avis. He drew back his bowstring. "The thing's in our way," he growled.

"Ryuga, no!" Kenta hissed in dismay. The arrow was already rocketing towards the beast, piercing one of the ruby-red eyes with the accuracy only a master archer can possess. The creature fell dead to Kyoya's feet, sluggish, steaming brown blood seeping out of its eye socket. Kyoya stepped backwards in disgust.

Suddenly, several bird-headed Avis flew out of the surrounding forest behind the first one, snake tails hissing furiously as they settled on the branches above the intruders.

Gingka gulped nervously, feeling his heart beat quickly.

"They travel in flocks," Kenta said. It was too late, however. The creatures charged towards the group, beaks, bills, and snake-jaws open, sharp teeth glinting in the little sunlight that managed to penetrate the treetops. They spread their wings.

"Run!" Kyoya yelled. He needn't say it twice. In fact, he needn't say it at all. Benkei had already picked up Hikaru—who was already dozing off into unconsciousness—and was crashing through the undergrowth, screaming maniacally. Gingka burst into an all-out sprint, propelled by fear for himself and his companions—but as ashamed he was to admit it, mostly, he was scared for himself.

He could hear the flapping of the birds' wings as they took off after the travelers in hot pursuit. He carefully looked back and instantly regretted it. The Avis were blurs of varying sizes, of varying shades of brown, but he could still hear their distinct high-pitched shrieks and hisses as they started to gain on them.

Drops of acid rained down. Gingka yelped as burning sensations sprouted on his back, neck, and pretty much everywhere else. He stepped into a puddle of acid, and he felt his feet blazing as if they had been set on fire.

Ryuga appeared next to Gingka, matching his strides step by step. His left ear was bleeding, and so was a gash on the left side of his forehead, the blood getting into his eye and giving his black tunic a reddish tint. However, his amber irises were shining with a bloodthirsty—almost insane—light and his mouth was curved into a hungry, fanged smirk as he loaded his bow with three arrows, and those he let fly without even a backwards glance. Shrill screeches pierced the air as several Avis bodies fell, the heavier ones making a louder impact on the ground.

"To the river!" he heard Kenta yell. "Hurry!"

Gingka didn't argue with him. Soon, the spongy forest floor turned into hot stones of several shapes and sizes, which dug into his bare, blistered feet. Gritting his teeth, he waded into the river, the cold water cooling his acid injuries and making the pain slightly more bearable.

"Can't those things swim?" he heard Kyoya yell.

"Some of them can!" Kenta replied. "But the snakes don't like it, even though they know how to swim too!"

When the birds went away—which wasn't until night—they set up camp to heal their wounds. Ryuga's golden eyes flashed as he glared at Kyoya.

"I told you we shouldn't have crossed there."

* * *

Sorry for the suckish chapter. I was rushing, because it was my only opportunity to use the computer.

Please review!


	11. Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade in any way whatsoever. And I just found out that Haruki Hagane, my OC for The Painful Truth and The New Generation, looks exactly like that Beywheelz guy Sho, except Haruki's eye color is turquoise! CO-INKY-DINKY!

Kyoya: Who says that?

Me: Apparently, I do. Now say the disclaimer.

Kyoya: YOU ALREADY SAID IT, MORON!

Me: Well, I want you to say it.

Kyoya: You're nuts. But... *reads from card* "DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. And, as we all know, she's absolutely mental and becoming more paranoid with each passing day due to her severe lack of computer/iPad use, reviews, talent, ideas, and the fact that Zero-G and Beywheelz are boring and unoriginal, and she feels like Haruki isn't so original..." What the heck is this?

Me: What? *reads card* RYUGA!

* * *

Kyoya walked along the bank of the river, his narrowed eyes seemingly glued to the sinister forest beyond, trying to spot danger—namely, the Infection Avis, or whatever Kenta had called it. He didn't know who to hit first—himself or Ryuga.

He chose the former.

Why?

Well, it wasn't like he didn't _completely_ ignore Ryuga when he had said that it was totally, insanely, painfully dangerous to cross the freaking stupid river. And he did not just lead the group right to the clawed—or webbed, depends on which kind of bird it was—feet of the Infested Avis, many of which Ryuga had decapitated, incapacitated, mutilated, debilitated, extirpated, annihilated, abrogated, obliterated, eradicated, and all those other words with the "ated" suffix that means either to kill or severely injure.

Proof? The archer had laid out all the Avis bodies on the opposite side of the riverbank, as a visible threat to all the other birdbrains he had failed to kill. Kyoya had noticed how he had acted when an acidic drop landed on Kenta's face—completely and utterly psycho.

As he glanced over at his companions, who were resting wearily underneath in the shelter of the willow tree, guilt wrenched his chest like a rope knot. Madoka pressed soaked cloths to Gingka's wounds as the redhead screamed in pain and tried to wriggle away.

Kyoya winced. Obviously, that stuff was not water.

Madoka dipped the scrap of cloth into the river and wrung the water out. "Gingka, you're done," she told her current patient before turning to the group's leader. "Kyoya, it's your turn."

He shook his head immediately, guilt crashing over him like a wave as he once again scolded himself about how all of this was the result of his doing. "No," he told her, eying the herb paste Kenta was applying to the fabric nervously. "Do Ryuga."

"But…" Gingka swung his blistered feet back and forth in the water, sending droplets of water into the air. "He's out hunting; he won't be back for a while."

"Those nutty birdbrains probably scared off all the game in a half-mile radius when they attacked," Kenta muttered. "It's nearly night anyway, but Ryuga shouldn't have gone while he was so injured." He sounded like he was talking to himself.

"C'mon, Kyoya," Madoka called.

The jade-green-haired teen sighed and reluctantly trudged towards the group medic. She smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing bad, Kyoya. Really. None of us got hurt badly."

"Except Gingka," Benkei quipped, nibbling on a strip of dried squirrel meat. "He was sl—sorry."

Madoka had elbowed him.

Gingka huffed. "Well!" He snatched the meat out of Benkei's hands and tore of a piece with his teeth.

"Hey! I was eating that!"

"You were slow." Gingka turned to Kyoya, struggling to pull the stopper off a tiny container. "Don't beat yourself up over it—no one could've seen that coming." He triumphantly tossed the stopper aside and poured syrupy golden honey onto his food.

"Ryuga did," Kyoya muttered under his breath, pulling his shirt off him so that Madoka could examine his injuries. "I should've listened to him." He sighed in relief as Madoka pressed the water-soaked fabric to a patch of sensitive skin on his back. Suddenly, a jolt of pain shot through his body like dragon fire. He had to bite on his tongue to prevent himself from crying out and seeming weak.

"Are you alright?" Madoka asked from behind him, although the tone in her voice told him that she already knew the answer.

Kyoya wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "Awesome," he drawled sarcastically.

She said nothing after that. Perhaps she knew that it was useless to tell him "It'll be over in a heartbeat," or "This won't hurt a bit," and all that stupid crap, when he already knew that there were a few more wounds to treat, and that each time she applied the herbs was as painful as being dragged through a bed of flames by a horse running at full speed.

Hikaru sat up, blinking groggily, and accepted the canteen that Kenta handed to her. "That was awful," she grumbled, taking a swig of water from the canteen. "I thought my foot was going to melt. _And_ our clothes are ruined."

"Not all of them," Benkei said. "Most of our clothes only have a few holes in them. Except Gingka's."

"Will you quit that?" the redhead snapped, pouring more honey on his meat.

"Ryuga's not gonna be too happy that you're doing that, Gingka," Hikaru said, gesturing to the canister of honey. "He'll probably toss you into the river and hold you there until you pass out, or something."

"We'll leave it on the ground and pretend that some animal got it," Benkei said, grabbing the honey from Gingka and pouring it over his own food. "He'll never notice." He held out a piece of honey-covered rabbit meat to Hikaru. "H—"

Kyoya's brain seemed to shut down as Madoka pressed more herbs to one of his untreated wounds. He clamped his teeth over his tongue again and bit until he tasted the stony tang of blood in his mouth, trying once more to keep quiet. It took several heartbeats for the pain to subside, but the unexpected attack left him rattled.

Of course, he was not about to let his companions know that.

"It's like he has magic!" Benkei's shrill, joking voice pulled Kyoya back into reality, clearing his vision and his hearing. Laughter rippled through the group. Magic was a rare existence in Gaelleon; the only known magic-users were the magicians of Sirius, whose names were unknown. He suspected that Fortissimus had some magicians as well.

"Magic!" Madoka snorted. "Yeah, right!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Kyoya couldn't resist to ask.

"How Ryuga knew that the other side of the river was trouble," Gingka said. "It's really weird… but he could've told us what was there."

"Maybe he doesn't care if we get hurt," Benkei chimed in.

Kenta jumped up. "Yes, he does! He probably just didn't know what they were, or maybe it's because we all went against him, or maybe even because he doubted that his sixth sense was wrong! Ryuga's a good person! If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead!"

"Ryuga may be a cold, stubborn, and irritatingly eccentric jerk, but he's not heartless!" Hikaru added defensively. Her like for Ryuga was obvious.

"You guys may be right about that…" Benkei scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sixth sense?" Madoka dabbed another one of Kyoya's wounds with water. He braced himself for the pain, thinking that since he had experienced it before, he had grown accustomed to it. However, he still found it extremely agonizing, draining his remaining strength. He felt like he was going to pass out, but he gritted his teeth, determined not to make himself look weak.

As he blinked the blurriness in his eyes away, he caught the end of Kenta's sentence: "—ever sneak up on him."

"That's probably how he knew that that monster was coming, back in the Academy," Gingka said. "He made me and Kyoya get on a pile of towels so that this monster that could sense vibrations won't be able to pick up our pulses."

Kyoya's mind traveled to ghosts. He had nearly gotten used to seeing them around—the sightings have become more frequent to the point when it was natural. They were strange beings, ghosts. A few of them never even knew they were dead. The older ones were paler, with voices barely as loud as the rustle of a leaf. Kyoya had learned not to stare at their odd features—the causes of their deaths, like an arrow sticking out of their neck or a spear through the heart—for it made them uncomfortable and cranky. Even the occasional headless spirit noticed when he was staring.

However, it was still a pleasure talking to them—they usually had interesting battle tips or fascinating stories to share; it had become a habit of Kyoya's to wander into the woods at night to talk to ghosts—there were usually about five around. He recalled his most recent meeting with a ghost—a not-too-friendly one who had tried to stab him through with his ghostly sword, to no avail. The weapon had passed through Kyoya's chest with a rather odd, cold, tickling sensation.

The green-haired teen was puzzling over the old ghost's crazy rambling about chickens when a snippet of conversation caught his ear.

"Do you think the magicians of Gaelleon protect us?" Hikaru mused.

"What a ridiculous question!" Kyoya felt a burst of anger and frustration well up inside him. "We should be focused on stocking up on supplies and getting ready to travel again, not discussing something that has caused more harm than good to this country! The imbeciles in Sirius are doing a horrible job of helping us win the war! Wishing, hoping, and praying won't help us survive! Action will! It's what's kept us alive for the past two months! We don't need magic!"

Gingka looked upset.

Kyoya knew what he was thinking.

"If you think that the other cities actually care about us, you're sorely mistaken!" Kyoya said.

What Gingka was about to say was cut off.

"Don't you think that the government would have come to help us after the invasion if they care about what happened?" Ryuga's yellow eyes glinted coldly like chips of flint. "We've been outside Ensis for weeks, and there were no signs of anyone coming to help us. Trust me, I've looked." Hurt, abandonment, and hopelessness glittered in his eyes before being replaced with frigid fury and anger.

For once, Kyoya didn't feel like hitting him—he felt the same way. No one else spoke, allowing Kyoya to speak up once again. "No one cares!" he spat. "We're just a small loss to the country. We're not important! Like a toy, when we broke, we were thrown away!"

"That's not true!" Gingka snapped. His thin frame was shaking like a leaf—he seemed to refuse to acknowledge the fact that they had been abandoned.

"Deny it all you want," Ryuga spat. "You know I'm telling the truth."

The group was silent again. Kyoya just barely prevented himself from screaming, feeling the herbs seep into yet another one of his wounds as Madoka quietly pressed the cloth to it. Once the pain faded, he looked up at Ryuga, who refused to meet his gaze.

"Hey," Kyoya said.

The yellow eyes flitted to him.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you this morning. It was obviously a stupid decision."

Ryuga blinked, but Kyoya knew what he wanted to say. "Go ahead," he said. "You know you want to."

The archer grinned faintly. "You're a stupid little fuck, you know that?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Kyoya felt a ghost of a smile creep onto his face.

Then, a dark cloud seemed to pass over Ryuga's face. His white eyebrows bunched into a frown as he picked something up from the ground. Kyoya realized that it was the canister of honey. Ryuga peered into the container.

"Gingka?"

"Yes, Ryuga?"

"Do you happen to know where my honey went?"

"Yes, Ryuga."

* * *

I'm still gonna kill Ryuga... as I puzzle over Haruki and Sho's resemblance…


	12. The Mysterious Shadow

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Thanks for reviewing, everyone! If there's anything you guys think I'm doing wrong, please let me know, either by reviewing or by PMing me! I'd appreciate some _constructive_ criticism. That means no flames, flamers!

Gingka: She's determined to be the best writer she can be... CAN'T YOU BE A BLADER INSTEAD?

Me: Apparently, my Beyblades CAN'T CREATE TORNADOES WHEN I YELL AT THEM! And completing this story is already on my To Do List for the year! With more than thirty chapters to go!

Ryuga: Geez, you self-centered overachiever.

Me: Be quiet. I was talking to Gingka.

Ryuga: But... this is my chapter...

Me: So?

Ryuga: ...

Me: ...

Ryuga: Is this about that thing I wrote on Kyoya's notecards last chapter?

Me: Just be lucky I didn't kill you off.

Ryuga: Are you?

Me: Of course not! I love you, dude!

**NOTE THE FLASHBACK. It's wacky.**

* * *

Ryuga had a series of roundish-looking scabs on his arms, but fortunately, his bow, arrows, and quivers were in fairly good condition, although he knew that his bow would never make it through another attack like that. He had to be more careful next time, otherwise his precious weapon, which his father had made for him, would be destroyed.

Ryuga knew that Kyoya felt guilty about the Infection Avis Incident—as the group had started to call it, despite Kenta constantly reminding them that the birds were called _Interfectorum Avis_. Their leader had forced himself to work twice as hard to make up for the pain he had caused his peers.

Of course, being Kyoya, he had scouted ahead, never seeming to notice that the rest of the group had fallen back to a good couple hundred feet behind. Ryuga had been hoping that _he_ would be the one to scout ahead; it would give him some time alone, and his sixth sense—way to keep the secret, Kenta—would come in handy if danger were to strike.

"Could someone please bring our so-called 'leader' back here before I collapse?" Hikaru groaned, sitting down on a fallen log. "We've been walking for _hours_, and if he keeps going like this, we're gonna lose him."

"Relax... guys..." Benkei said half-enthusiastically, trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of fainting. "He's Kyoya... he... won't... give up... us... easi—ugh..." He took one more step and fell to the ground face-first, out cold.

"KYOYA TATEGAMI, GET YOUR BEHIND BACK HERE AT ONCE!" Madoka screeched.

_I swear, that girl's gonna lose her voice someday._

Kyoya was wearing a look of impatience as he stalked back to the group. "Goren's just a few hours away. If we keep walking, we'll reach it before sunset."

"If we keep walking, we'll reach Goren with our feet worn down into stumps!" Madoka shot back. She had spunk. Ryuga couldn't say the same for the rest of the group. Kenta was already asleep on Hikaru's lap. Gingka was too tired to even talk. And Benkei... well, they were just hoping that he wasn't dead. Ryuga kicked him in the side; Benkei snorted and hugged the archer's leg as if it were a rag doll.

"Hey, you big oaf! Let go of me!" Disgusted, Ryuga tried to yank his leg away—even pull his foot out of his boot. He even tried hitting Benkei on the head. But the stinking fat bull had an iron grip. Ryuga felt his foot go numb.

"Lamb..." Benkei murmured, starting to chew on the boot.

The others laughed; Gingka was clutching his chest, laughing his tiny little heart out. Even Kyoya snickered. If Ryuga wasn't in such a humiliating predicament, he would have shot every one of them in the head, except for Hikaru, who was the only one besides Ryuga who was not laughing, because she looked pretty disgusted as well.

Oh, wait, he could shoot them; he pulled an arrow out of a quiver, nocked it, and pointed the sharp, well-cared-for iron tip at Kyoya's face. "Get me out of this fucking deathtrap, Tategami, or I will shoot that fucking stupid smirk off your fucking ugly face."

"You didn't need to curse!" Kyoya snapped. "Trust me, I've been in this situation tons of times... Benkei! There's this big buffet—"

Benkei stood up so suddenly that he knocked Ryuga to the ground. "Where's the food?" He looked around eagerly.

"Sorry, man," Kyoya said apologetically. "There's no buffet today. Ryuga threatened to shoot me if I didn't wake you up, because you were kind of cutting off the flow of blood to his foot."

"Rats! At least he didn't really shoot you, right?"

"Oh, he shot me alright," Kyoya said nonchalantly. "Got me right in the back."

"WHAT?" Benkei picked Kyoya up as if he weighed nothing more than a pillow and examined him.

"That's just cruel, Kyoya," Madoka scolded him. "He looked like he was about to die."

Meanwhile, Ryuga had picked himself off the ground, and, with his remaining dignity, took off his soaked boot, held it as far away from himself as possible, and hit a tree with it. Droplets of saliva flew everywhere, but not a single drop landed on him, much to his relief.

His companions, however, were not so lucky.

"HEY!" Kenta sputtered.

Hikaru held her arms out on either side of her and cringed. "Ew, this is so gross!"

"RYUGA!" That was Madoka, of course.

_There's this sweet little thing called payback_, Ryuga mused, one side of his mouth curving up in a half-smile, hidden from the view of the others.

Suddenly, a nagging feeling started to hum softly at the back of his mind, making his teeth vibrate. It was the all-too-familiar feeling of his sixth sense. _We're not alone._

Automatically, his hearing seemed to have amplified, until he could hear a mouse nibbling on a seed under the shelter of a nearby bush. The soft chatter of his companions seemed like thunder. The scents of the forest flooded over him. He could spot every single detail in front of him—the ants marching up the trunk of a tree, every tiny vein running through each leaf. He felt every groove and scratch on his bow though his skin, felt the heartbeats of his companions through his feet.

_What's that? _A shadow darted over his head. Leaves rustled, but it couldn't have been a squirrel. No, this was much heavier than a squirrel. This was a human being—a small one, by the feel of it. The voices of the others were muffling the other sounds. _There it is again!_ Ryuga's eyes darted up, spying a flash of green and gold dart behind the branch of a tree.

"Shh!" he hissed. The chatter died down and he felt the others' gaze on him. He felt seven gazes on him; _There should be six. There's someone watching us._

"What is it?" Benkei yelled.

"Shut up!" He narrowed his eyes, carefully nocking an arrow. His breathing slowed as he cast his senses everywhere at once. _Where are you?_

He heard the sound of heavy breathing coming from the tall tree just a few yards away, met the curious dark gaze as it swept over the group, scented the stench of a human village. The stranger's heartbeats came, furious and fast, traveling to the thin soles of Ryuga's boots. He carefully aimed at the tiny fragment of a human eye just barely visible through the leaves—the dark green irises blending in well with the forest.

The eye blinked, then the stranger was gone. Ryuga felt it jumping from tree to tree, away from the group._ Rats!_

He broke out in a dead run, ignoring the protests of the others—he had to get to that person, before it got out of range of his senses. Kyoya, however, didn't say a word and followed him. He detected the sounds of the others picking up the bags in a rustle of cloth, and the leaves rustling loudly as the stranger in the trees sped up its pace.

Thanks to his senses, he skidded to a halt just at the edge of a riverbank—barely audible over the trickling water, the quiet, almost indistinct sounds of giant bloodsucking _hirudo _lurking in the dark waters crept to Ryuga's ears. The leeches lunging out to snag tiny fish in their "jaw" and sucking the blood and nutrients out. The strange stalker was gone—he couldn't even hear him anymore. His senses had dulled once again, leaving him standing at the riverbank, seething with frustration.

Then, there was Kyoya.

Both boys toppled into the river. Immediately, Ryuga felt several leeches latch onto his skin. Tiny teeth dug into his flesh, drawing blood, which the leeches happily drank. Of course, his senses just made it all the more painful than it should've been.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" Madoka's scream nearly deafened him, and she wasn't even less than fifteen feet away from him.

"_Hirudo_!" Kenta cried. "That's not good!"

"You wouldn't happen to know how to get them off, will you?" Kyoya lifted his arm to reveal several black worm-like creatures clinging to him. He yanked at one, but it just stretched rather impressively. One of the Sodos' products came to mind: Mystery Stuff—the material he had used to make the rope. He remembered Dan and Reiki's little performance in Dolor just a couple of years ago, as if it had just happened the previous day.

_It was a frigid winter evening. Snow was falling, blocking the roads and settling everywhere. Dolor was a safe house for people who had gotten stranded in the blizzard—people like twelve-year-old Ryuga Kishatu. The few dozen civilians seeking shelter clustered in the spacious building, radiating warmth as they shuffled from stall to stall checking out the inventory and making an occasional purchase._

_Ryuga had just stuffed two copper pieces in his pocket in exchange for a scrawny squirrel that he had caught that afternoon. He turned to the Sodo stand, ready to buy some herbs that his father had asked for from Mrs. Sodo, who apparently, wasn't there. But a small crowd had gathered. Grinning like a madman, ten-year-old Dan Sodo held up a blob of dark clay-like substance, the dim candlelight reflecting off the rough surface."Today, we are introducing our newest product: Mystery Stuff! It cannot be eaten—"_

_"Like most of the other stuff you sell!" Kyoya Tategami yelled from the back of the crowd. He was just as old as the Sodo twins, his freckles just barely visible under a thick layer of soot that he had obtained by cleaning chimneys. Ryuga noticed that he was wearing a new cloak._

_Several people laughed at his remark, no one seeming to notice that when they turned around, Kyoya inconspicuously reached into the money pouch of a drunken man and skillfully took out a silver coin, tucking it into his glove. Benkei Hanawa, Kyoya's best friend, bumped knuckles with his companion; both of them were wearing identical mischievous grins._

_Reiki Sodo spoke next, looking slightly annoyed. "It may be inedible..." He paused, daring anyone to speak up. "... but it can be used as..." His face broke out into a smirk. "A ball! It really bounces!" He rolled the blob into a crude sphere, then threw it to the ground. Amazingly, the blob... fell to the ground with a _splat_._

_Unimpressed grunts and amused chuckles rippled through the small crowd._

_"Dan!" he shrilled. "Is this the recipe or not? I just noticed how horrible it smells!"_

_His red-clad brother popped out from behind the stand and smiled cheekily. "Oops," he said. "That's horse dung..."_

_"EW!" Reiki dropped the lump, dunking his hands into a bucket of soapy water repeatedly. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew! I'll get you for this, Dan! I'll get you good!" His scowl deepened as more people began to laugh at his predicament._

_Dan shaped the real Mystery Stuff into a sphere just as his brother had done with the cow dung and dropped it. It easily bounced back into his hand. Ryuga blinked, slightly interested in this new invention. He wove through the crowd, careful to avoid bumping into people—they usually weren't very friendly, and he might break the small bow he was carrying—until he was standing right in front of the stand._

_"It can also be used as a rock!" Dan announced. "It can be thrown at intruders, or be used to build a house!"_

_Ayumu, a former soldier, rolled his eyes. "You do know that rocks are pretty much everywhere, right?"_

_Everyone murmured assent._

_Reiki shoved his brother aside, snatching the Mystery Stuff out of his hands. "It's almost indestructible, and can last for at least two centuries!" That one was an obvious lie. Dan once again captured the blob and said, grinning, "You can throw it at Reiki!"_

_"Shut up, Dan!"_

_"I dunno," Ayumu said, shrugging. "Sounds pretty good to me."_

_"You can't be serious!" Reiki snapped._

_"Show more respect to your elders, Reiki," Dan said._

_"Who are you calling an elder?"_

_A fight broke out. Ryuga crept forward, using the silent tread he always used as a hunter, and snatched the Mystery Stuff from where it lay, forgotten, on the counter. He stretched it, but it refused to break. Confused, he pulled until the material was just a little thicker than a hair, where it refused to stretch any further. It seemed like good material for a rope. He tied one end of the surprisingly-smooth strand to the abandoned stall that used to sell birds and yanked at it._

_The tiny stall toppled over, barely missing him. The wooden cages crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces, and feathers flew everywhere. Every eye turned to the pile of splintered wood. Ryuga stared at the Mystery Stuff in his hands and tried to cut it with his hunting knife. It stayed as strong and as fine as ever._

What kind of sorcery is this?

_"I _might_ take it," he told the twins, who beamed._

_"Really?" they chorused._

_"Name your price."_

_Dan beat his brother to it. "What do you have to offer?"_

_The white-and-red-haired boy thought it out carefully—in his pockets, he had three silver pieces, seven copper pieces, an extra bowstring, a chunk of beeswax, the five new iron arrowheads that he had picked up from the blacksmith shop that morning. The herbs cost five copper pieces, but he had been hoping to save the extra money for more arrowheads._

_"A copper piece?" He was just hoping._

_"How about two silver pieces for two blobs?" Reiki held out his hand._

_Muttering some curses under his breath, Ryuga dropped the coins into the blue-clad twin's hand. He tucked the Mystery Stuff into his game bag. "What's this stuff made of?" he asked, praying to the gods that it was nothing disgusting._

_"Clay, iron dust, some herbs..." Dan counted them off on his fingers._

_"... and ground dragon scales..." Reiki whispered. "Don't ask how we got it."_

_"I don't really care."_

_And that, was the beginning of a rope-making project. It had taken three months, and an additional week to get the leftovers out of his hair, but Ryuga had managed. As for the Mystery Stuff, they sold like hotcakes._

"Ryuga?" Madoka snapped her fingers in front of his face. "You okay?"

He snapped back into reality and stood up, wading out of the river. "I'm fine," he grunted.

"I don't know how to get them off!" Kenta wailed. "I was absent for that lesson, and no one bothered to tell me!"

_Sixth sense tingling..._

"I know how to get them off." A little boy stepped out from the shadows. He had tall, orange-blond hair; large, expressive emerald eyes; and pale skin. He was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, black pants, and a length of white and green-striped cloth tied around his waist as a "belt." Ryuga noticed a dagger hilt sticking out of the top of his "belt." The boy's bare feet were wrapped in brown cloth with the toes and heels sticking out. His skin and clothes were dirty and mud-stained, but there was a full money pouch at his side.

It was the stranger from earlier.

The boy held out his hand and grinned in a friendly manner, like he wasn't just stalking them a while ago. "I'm Yu Tendo."

* * *

And... Yu's here! Don't worry, other characters will be introduced later.


	13. Goren

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

For everyone who reviewed, thanks! Those reviews are the only things motivating me to keep writing this story.

And I'm so sorry for the curses, DragonWave. I'll try to stop.

Don't worry, everyone! I'll work my butt off to update every single week if I could! I'll make sure that you all read about your favorite characters, who, BTW, each have their own epic moments!

I'll give some spoilers (which pains me):

- In this chappie, you'll see some Ensis survivors.

- The new characters you'll be meeting in the two chapters after this are Tetsuya, the Garcias, Masamune, and Toby.

- The new OCs you'll be meeting in the two chapters after this are Akane, the little ghost girl; and Hotaka, a baron and the king's second-in-command.

* * *

Gingka had to admit that he was worried when Ryuga bared his fangs at Yu Tendo and loaded his bow. Perhaps he shouldn't be threatening the little boy. One: he was a little boy. Two: he might be able to help them. And three: Gingka just didn't want to see any blood. No, thank you—he'd had seen enough shed blood back at the river.

Yu laughed. He seemed rather oblivious to the malice in the archer's eyes, or the fact that Ryuga would actually shoot him. Then, he shook everyone's hands all friendly-like; he even greeted Ryuga, who refused to move, but Yu grabbed his stiff hand and pumped it up and down enthusiastically.

Yu's hand was warm, small, but calloused; obviously, he worked hard.

"How are you guys doing?" he asked. "The war's pretty bad, but I'm sure it'll be over soon! I mean, there are so many super-brave soldiers out there, fighting to protect us! So, yeah, we're totally gonna win this thing! Don't you think so?"

Gingka admired his optimism.

"We're from Ensis," Kyoya said.

"Ensis?" Yu's green eyes widened and his smile disappeared; it was a strange look for him. "I heard it was destroyed by the Fortissimus, like, two months ago."

Everyone's eyes seemed to have wandered somewhere else. "Yeah, it was..." Madoka said quietly. Then, she shook her head and met Yu's gaze. "So how do you treat these leech bites?"

Yu understood that she wanted to change the subject. He carefully grabbed a leech on her arm and gently squeezed it repeatedly, twisting it as if he were wringing out a blanket. The _hirudo_ detached itself from Madoka's skin and wriggled in Yu's hands as if it were a snake. "Like that!" He was still smiling, but his eyes were dark.

Gingka and the others imitated what he did. Soon, but not as soon as Kyoya had wanted, they were leech-free.

"We need to get to Goren," Kyoya said. "Do you know where to go?"

Yu nodded. "Oh, sure! It's just a mile away!"

Kenta looked like he was going to faint. "Really?" he squeaked, taking a seat on the damp ground.

"Really?" Ryuga looked less enthusiastic.

"Really!" Yu said.

"Really?" Gingka asked.

"Really!"

"Really?"

"Really!" Yu seemed to be enjoying their little game.

"Really?"

"Let's get going, then!" Kyoya said impatiently. He helped Kenta to his feet and fixed his determined cornflower-blue gaze on Yu. "Lead us there." The little boy nodded and skipped away, looking over his shoulder and yelling, "You coming or what?"

They picked up their bags and followed the blond, although Gingka noticed that Ryuga, with his bow grasped firmly in his hand, looked like he was walking into his death. "You okay?" Gingka asked cautiously. The golden eyes met his own.

"Yeah."

The group was in high spirits after a few minutes of walking. Kenta and Yu had become fast friends. Madoka and Hikaru were talking about something—presumably boys—at the back of the group. Kyoya had taken out his sword and was twirling it in his hands. Even Ryuga had relaxed a little, and actually _smiled_ as he watched Kenta and Yu engage in an enthusiastic conversation about knives.

Yu seemed to admire Ryuga. "You actually _saw_ me in those trees?" he asked in awe. "I've never met anyone who could do that! That's so cool! You must be like, part elf, or something! You even look like one! Of course, I've never seen an elf before, only in books!" He grinned as he peppered Ryuga and Kenta with questions, flitting from the two young warriors like an excited hummingbird.

"We're here!" Hikaru yelled, breaking into a run. "I see the fields!"

The trees had started to thin, letting more light through their leaves, until the group was at the top of a treeless cliff, and right at the bottom was a large patch of color—Goren. Sunlight shone on the many acres of rolling golden wheat fields, majestic mills, and fruit trees surrounding the bright village, going on for miles around. Gingka could see a gray, hazy line in the distance—mountains—and farmers harvesting their crops, wearing broad woven hats.

Gingka thought that it was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. Then, with a pang in his heart, he remembered Ensis' sprawling lush green fields dotted with farms, and white, brown, and black cattle. The forests that bordered the land... now a blackened mass of ashes, misery, and death.

The sweet scent of fruit wafted over the Ensis-born refugees—none of whom had ever seen Goren before—from the nearby orchards. Yu grinned proudly. "This is Goren—The Golden Haven of Agriculture."

"It smells really good!" Madoka hummed.

Hikaru was on her knees, her amethyst eyes giddily taking in the sights. "I haven't seen a busy city in a while," Gingka heard her murmur.

"Come on!" Yu said, leaping nimbly on top of an enormous boulder. Ryuga and Kyoya followed, with Hikaru climbing after them gracefully. The three of them helped Madoka, Kenta, and Benkei up, and Gingka accepted their help as well, feeling embarrassed that he couldn't climb up by himself, but he was no fool who would let his pride get ahead of him.

On the other side of the rock was a paved stone road, well cared for and smooth, like the Arcus Road. Gingka reached down and plucked a stone from beside the boulder. Much to his surprise, it wasn't an enormous boulder at all—it was a cave, over twenty feet tall and twice as wide. "What's this cave used for?" he asked Yu.

"This is _Draconis Dente Relictam Cavernis_," Yu answered.

"Dragon's Fang Caverns," Hikaru translated, seeming transfixed by the dark, gaping mouth of the cave.

Ryuga gave a lopsided grin as he stroked the black stone, staring at it with barely-visible wonder. "My father used to tell me stories about this place," he said quietly, wistfully. "The first dragon in Gaelleon's history lived here. I was named after him." He whispered the last part, but Gingka heard it, and he was sure that the others did too, although they didn't say anything.

With a start, Gingka realized that Ryuga's name meant Dragon's Fang in one of Gaelleon's many languages.

"He's the sun," Yu said. "He rose at day, flying across the skies, lighting everything with his glow, which, by the way, was like, the brightest of the bright, and settled here at night, letting the moon goddess take over."

"Long before man was created, he crashed into a plain next to the mountains, making a gigantic crater in the ground," Hikaru added, "eliminating many of the monsters that roamed the world. The impact created the very land Goren sits upon now."

"When man arrived, he left to live in the worlds beyond, watching over us all. His children scattered all over the world, and their descendants are the dragons of today." Gingka recalled the legend from the stories he'd heard as a child from the men who'd raised him, as his father had died before he was born.

Ryuga's eyes seemed focused on a point no one else can see. "Ryuu Koutei—Dragon Emperor." His voice was distant.

"I love that legend!" Benkei yelled, dancing around joyfully. "I just remembered it, and now I remember how amazing it is! My mother—she was an artist—she made me a picture. It was so pretty!" His face fell. "But I left it back in Ensis."

"Don't remind us," Kyoya grumbled sourly.

** Ω**

The group arrived at the village not long after, following the road a couple more miles west and down a gentle slope that led to the bottom of the cliff. Gingka had marveled at the golden wheat stalks as they wove through the broad dirt paths that cut through the fenced-in fields. One of the farmers even allowed them to pick fruit from the abundant supply of orchard trees.

"I smell bread," Ryuga announced, half to himself and half to the others. He had relaxed since they'd arrived at the Dragon's Fang Caverns, and Gingka was enjoying the archer's mellow mood. The redhead almost dropped the sweet apple that he was eating and paused mid-step to smell the air.

"He's right!" Gingka exclaimed. "I SMELL BREAD!" He started to run, hearing the others' amused laughs behind him. He heard Benkei pounding down the path right behind him, and knew that he was as excited as he was.

They flashed right through the break in the seven-foot stone wall that marked Goren's entrance. Gingka halted and instinctively sidestepped to avoid being crashed into by Benkei.

The bright houses and shops that lined the streets of Goren were such a contrast to the grim looks that the people wore. They were packing up their belongings, pushing carts, hopping into chariots, lifting luggage into wagons, and climbing on top of horses.

They were preparing to leave.

Gingka felt his companions' confusion as if it was his own. Suddenly, a pair of teens popped up from behind a wagon. They were marked with pink burn patches and thick white scars. Two pairs of surprised blue eyes stared at the new arrivals.

"Kyoya? Benkei?"

"Ryuga? Kenta?"

Yu inched closer to the group. "You know these guys?"

"Dan and Reiki Sodo!" Benkei exclaimed. "You're alive!"

* * *

DAN AND REIKI ARE ALIVE! You two bros gimme a huggie!

Dan: Why?

Reiki: You barely know we exist.

Me: HUGS!

Ryuga: Better do what she says, boys. Fangirls are vicious.


	14. The Girl Named Blood

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.**

* * *

Kyoya barely recognized them. But, heck yeah, it was them. "It's really you guys!" he said in awe before being sandwiched in a group hug composed of himself, Dan, Reiki, Benkei, Kenta, and Ryuga, who seemed to have developed a demonic look as he tried to struggle out of the hug. However, Benkei was doing most of the hugging, so it was no use trying to escape.

_Better luck next time, Ryuga._

"What are you doing here?" Kenta asked. "How did you survive?"

The twins exchanged a sad glance. "Yeah..." Obviously, they didn't want to talk about it. Reiki picked up a large sack and slung it over his shoulder. "We're... living with our cousins. But they're leaving. Tomorrow." He fidgeted uncomfortably, avoiding their gazes. "So... we're going to the orchard to make last-minute harvests and stuff."

Sure enough, a burly teen with thick, spiked brown hair walked over to the group. "It's time to go, you guys," he said gruffly. A worn brown cloak with a hood was draped around his shoulders, over a blue-violet shirt with yellow trim, which had its sleeves torn off. He was also wearing dark blue pants, brown leather working boots, and a belt holding three money pouches.

Kyoya almost took a step back, slightly intimidated.

"This is our cousin, Aguma," Dan said. "Aguma, these are some of our friends from... from Ensis." He gave a tight-lipped smile, which seemed forced. "Kyoya, Benkei, Kenta, Ryuga, and Lord Hasama's daughter, Hikaru."

Reiki chimed in, squinting. "And... Gingka and Madoka... from... class... right?"

Madoka nodded. "That's me."

Kenta, Benkei, and Gingka grinned broadly and waved. _Bozos_.

"We heard about Ensis," Aguma said, adjusting his grip on the bags and walking stick that he held in his hands. Dan and Reiki popped out from behind Aguma. "Would you like to come with us?" they chorused.

"Where are you going?" Gingka asked.

"Sirius," Dan replied. "That's where everyone's going. As if they haven't taken in enough people," he muttered under his breath. Kyoya noticed that everyone seemed to be anxious to go. They were worried that Fortissimus would get to their village next.

_But it seemed so... serene... from up on that cliff_, Kyoya remembered, remembering Yu's pride as he was telling them about Goren. Suddenly, he looked around; where was Yu, anyway? The boy seemed to have vanished. "Where's Yu?" he asked. "He was here a second ago..."

"Yu?" Another voice chimed in. "As in, Yu Tendo? We have enough problems without him making our lives harder." A teenager with maroon hair, and wearing almost the same outfit as Aguma's—except with longer sleeves and brown fingerless gloves—scowled at them, his amber eyes flashing. There was an intelligence in those dark golden depths that made Kyoya wary of him.

"Why?" Kenta asked. "What's so bad about Yu?"

"He's been so helpful to us!" Madoka said, speaking for the first time since they arrived. Her eyebrows were furrowed with disapproval. "He was the one who led us here and treated our leech bites! See?" She pulled up her shirt sleeve to show a round bite mark on her wrist.

"That thief's been robbing us for the last two years!" the amber-eyed teen said. _Thief? Yu? Really?_ Kyoya knew that there was something off about Yu, but seriously? The boy seemed too innocent to even step on a ant, let alone steal from other people.

Gingka seemed to be thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, she chose to ask the dumbest question of all time. "Which Yu Tendo are you talking about?" he asked, trying to play the bozo. Personally, Kyoya thought that he did a pretty good job. _He already looks the part_, he noted almost humorously. Of course, he didn't mean it... completely...

The young man rolled his eyes irritably. "Green eyes, blond hair, ye big—" Cue a hand being held level to his hip. "—talks a lot?"

"Oh, _that_ Yu," Gingka looked mystified. Kyoya mentally applauded him. _He's good..._

"You stupid, or something?" the maroon-haired guy sneered.

Kyoya growled in defense for his friend, and he felt Benkei tense beside him.

"Don't you have someone else to bother, Bao?" Dan interjected, throwing the golden-eyed teen a dirty look. Reiki inched closer to his brother. Blue eyes met amber as the twins and Bao had an intense stare-down. Finally, Bao snorted and turned his head in disgust, clenching his eyes shut. "Come on, Aguma. Let's get to work."

Aguma nodded. "We'll meet you at the orchard," he told the twins.

"Sure," Reiki said.

As he watched the pair lope towards the fields, Benkei had to pipe up; "Bao's not very nice, is he?"

"Not our favorite cousin," Reiki grumbled.

"We'd better get going," Dan said.

"No way, brainless," his twin shot back. "I'm not about to get stung by bees!"

"Well, you'll have to, you lazy bum." Dan dragged his brother away as they bickered. They glanced over their shoulder at the group and chorused, "It was nice seeing you guys again!"

"_Saburo Tategami." The messenger's face was stoic, emotionless as he announced the last name on his list._

"_Uncle..." Kyoya muttered. He held back tears. He was frozen to the spot. The messenger's next words were muffled. Then, he rolled up his scroll and shoved through the crowd, nearly knocking Kyoya over. "Move it kid." His whisper was barely audible, but Kyoya could hear the disgust in it._

_Which just made him even more upset._

"_Come on." Benkei's familiar face appeared in front of him. "Wanna go get some cake?"_

_Sweets had always cheered Kyoya up. But not today. He shook his head sadly and felt Benkei's arms around him. Benkei was lucky. He'd never known his parents. He'd never known any relatives. He'd been adopted, picked up from the streets. He was as plump as a pigeon, and well-fed. He had a family—and adopted family, but a family, no less._

_Kyoya didn't have anyone now—no one but Benkei._

_His uncle had died, and he was alone. He caught the gaze of a golden-eyed boy; Ryuga was at least fourteen years old, two years older than Kyoya. His father had been announced as dead that same day. He turned away from the older boy._

Cornflower-blue eyes fluttered open. Kyoya sat up, panicked for a while. He couldn't see the stars above his head—he felt surprisingly warm. Then, he remembered—they were in the Sodos' house. He wasn't in the wilderness anymore—for the first time in two months, he was sleeping under a roof. He stood and nearly tripped over Ryuga, grasping his new hunting knife as he slept. Kyoya carefully maneuvered through the maze of sleeping bodies and through the archway.

He headed down the stairs, pulling on his cloak and turning the slender door handle and stepping outside, staring—not for the first time—at the arched doorway and curved architecture that was common amongst the houses in Goren. He closed the door behind him, relaxing at how peaceful the town was.

The only sounds were that of the laughter coming from a crowded bar and the surrounding animals. He pulled his cloak tighter around him. The night was chilly, but not as cold as Ensis evenings. A breeze was blowing. Suddenly, he spotted a sickly white glow dart out of an alley and behind a merchant cart.

It was the little ghost girl.

"Did you follow us from Ensis?" Kyoya asked warily. He tried to convince himself that she wouldn't hurt him—she was a ghost. But those sad eyes were unnerving, reminding him that he had failed to save all those children back then.

The girl nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Akane," she replied softly, shyly.

_Akane—deep red._ The name triggered a memory—a turquoise-haired man standing in front of a window, a house collapsing, a woman's screams. The little girl shrieking as the falling stones trapped her. She couldn't breathe... Then, she was dead.

* * *

HAH! Bet you guys weren't expecting Aguma and Bao in here! I told you about some characters, but I never said that they were the only ones showing up! This is strange... those two just popped in this story like the sneaky little weasels (Oh, who am I kidding? I love them!) they are! The other Legend Bladers and the Metal Fury characters probably won't be showing up until the second Gaelleon's War, if I ever get to writing that...


	15. Another Day, Another Declaration

**DISCLAIMER**: I DO NOT OWN METAL FIGHT BEYBLADE.

GAH! I DELETED SOME OF MY STORIES! NOOOOOOOOO! Q.Q

Ryuga: Oh, that's awful.

Me: Was that sarcasm?

Ryuga: Sure.

Me: THERE IT IS AGAIN! Anyway, I thought that most of my stories were kind of... well, immature. I'm so ashamed of them now! *bangs head with frying pan* I feel so stupid! I can't believe I wrote all that crap!

Ryuga: I could...

Me: Shut up! I didn't delete Just a Child, just so you know.

Ryuga: Wait... you mean the one with...

Me: *smirks*

Ryuga: And all the crying?

Me: *smirks some more*

Ryuga: YOU BRAT! I WAS A WIMP THERE!

Me: Never deleting it! It's like, such an adorable and extremely emotional mental breakdown!

Ryuga: You...

Me: Ryo! Ryuga needs another hug! He's having another breakdown!

Ryuga: *almost speechless* You...

Ryo: THE IMMORTAL PHOENIX!

* * *

"I'm going to scout ahead," Bao grunted over his shoulder. He flicked the reins for his horse, Crimson Flash, to pick up the pace. The horse cantered ahead of the group, his horseshoed hooves _clop-clop-clopping_ on the stone road and his red-brown coat gleaming in the rising sun like silk, almost as crimson as his name.

_Ugh, what's there to scout ahead for? _Ryuga thought icily. _This place looks the same for miles around—stupid grass. How do you live like this? _He adjusted the collar of his new cloak and glanced back at Goren—only the tall fortress located in the middle of the village was visible now. Slightly disappointed, he wished that they had stayed longer—he'd wanted to explore, and maybe come back to the Dragon's Fang Caverns.

He was curious as to Yu's whereabouts as well. The boy had disappeared upon their run-in with the Sodos, and no one had seen him since. Of course, he wasn't _worried_ about the boy. What a joke that would be. He wasn't worried.

He wasn't.

"Be careful out there, Bao!" Aguma called.

"Yeah, yeah..." his cousin said carelessly.

According to Dan and Reiki, Bao's mother had been a retired war general, and had been called back seven years ago, when Bao was eight years old. His father had followed suit, leaving his son in the care of his sister, Aguma's mother. However, she fell ill and died not long after, and the two were alone. Luckily, they were old enough to work, and managed to make a living for themselves.

Also that Bao's father, Aguma's mother, and the twins' father were siblings.

An hour ago, they had passed the high barbed-wire fence that separated the wheat fields from the grasslands, which seemed to stretch on towards the edge of the Earth. He felt as if they'd never reach the mountains... He scowled, impatient to get to Sirius. At the speed they were going, Fortissimus would catch up to them easily, if they wanted to.

Madoka seemed to be feeling the same frustration Ryuga was. "This'll take _forever_!" she whined.

Kyoya muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"What did you say?" Dan asked.

"Nothing."

Reiki cracked a grin. "Trust me, it took us a while to get used to all this. We had to walk a lot, to harvest fruit." He took a bite out of a large purple fruit. Dark juice dribbled down his chin. "Really good." He offered one to Benkei.

Benkei let out an exclamation, all too giddily. He accepted the fruit. "YUM! Want a bite, Kyoya?"

"No."

Ryuga found himself inching closer to the shade of the wagon. He _hated_ being out in the open so much. He felt like he was naked, exposed to any danger lurking nearby. When he cast his senses out, all he felt, saw, heard, and scented was openness, the wind, the tall grass swaying, and mice... lots and lots of mice, and a few pheasants.

Well, the pheasants weren't so bad. They'd make a good meal.

Overall, Ryuga preferred the shadowed forests, with tall trees and undergrowth and darkness, with prey scurrying nearby, shelter, hiding spots, cool leaves and soil to tread on. The sunlight filtering through the leaves was a beautiful sight—dappling the ground with golden spots—especially in winter, when the untouched snow-covered ground was lit up like the moon, and the icicles gleamed from their perches underneath tree branches.

How he missed the forest.

This place was a strange location for a grassland, though. It was almost like a valley, he noticed. The mountains bordered the land in a horseshoe shape, with the open end facing the east—the direction in which they had traveled from... where Ensis was...

"Ryuga." Hikaru placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "You okay?"

Ryuga realized that he had fallen behind the others. The sun was beating down on his head. A bead of sweat formed on his hairline and trickled down to his brow. He shrugged her hand off with a jerk of his arm. For a heartbeat, Hikaru looked hurt, then shook her head. "I was just worried about you," she said.

He grunted indifferently, his face burning as he avoided her amethyst gaze. _She's such a mother duck..._

"Are you going to enlist for the army?"

Ryuga bit the inside of his lip—he'd been doing that a lot lately. "No." His voice was quiet, almost like a growl, and Hikaru backed away a bit.

He'd made a promise. To his father. He would never kill people unless it was in self-defense.

_Never._

"Oh," was her answer.

They walked in silence for the rest of the day.

** Ω**

"We make camp there." Aguma pointed to a rather large clearing just off the road, with a tree leaning over it, its leaves protecting the ground from the sun's harsh rays. Ryuga noticed that there was a small path worn into the grass, winding through the tall blades to the clearing. _People probably use it a lot._

"We'll got into the mountains in the morning when there's light available in order to scout for danger," he continued, pointing to the tall wall of stone and snow just a mile away.

The group trekked down the path, following Aguma's lead with the wagon. Bao was waiting for them, sitting under the tree. He'd already made a fire. Crimson Flash had been unsaddled and sent out to graze, his jet-black tail swishing from side to side as he picked his way through the grassy fields to find the vegetation that suited his taste.

Aguma unloaded a crate from the wagon.

Ryuga veered off back towards the path after accepting a piece of dried meat from Kyoya, loading his bow. He wandered farther away from the group, towards the quieter parts of the prairie. Then, he dislodged a loose rock from the path and tossed it into a promising spot.

Immediately, a flock of pheasants burst from the tall grasses. Ryuga managed to take two of them down with his arrows, then trudged into the waist-high fields, using his senses, to find the two bodies. As he was finishing the rope knot that went around the pheasants' necks and his belt, the grass not far in front of him rustled.

Ryuga's nose twitched, picking up a familiar scent. He gave the rope one final jerk. "I know you're out there, street rat," he said quietly. "Show yourself."

Yu's orange-blond head popped over the tops of the blades. "Hey, Ryuga!" he said cheerily. "You're so cool! How'd you know it was me?" His voice was tinged with admiration, and he didn't wait for Ryuga to answer his question.

He flitted around the archer, frolicking among the grasses and grinning all carefree and happy. "I was following you guys. It is true that you're going to Sirius? Do you think you're going to make it? Why don't you want to join the army? And have I mentioned how cool you are?"

Ryuga was already walking away. The kid was making him dizzy. The archer slowed his steps and swept his gaze over the valley. "Coming?" he grunted.

"Huh?"

Ryuga glanced back and frowned. "You could stay with us. It's dangerous for a little boy like you to be out here alone."

"But..." For once, Yu looked hesitant and ashamed. He looked down at his dirty feet, wrapped in cloth bandages, and wouldn't meet Ryuga's gaze. "They don't want me there—Bao and Aguma. They... they might kill me. I'm a thief."

The sun was setting, bathing the land in red-orange light. Ryuga felt a nudge of sympathy for the child, and he felt his cold glare soften. "I won't let _anyone_ hurt you," he said with an air of finality and determination. "I promise."

_Just as I had promised Father that I wouldn't kill people._

Yu hugged him. "Thanks, Ryuga." His eyes were shining with tears when he looked up.

"Ugh." Ryuga rolled his eyes. "Please don't do that. It's annoying." He turned around and started west, towards the orange sun. He heard Yu laugh behind him. "Wait up!" the boy exclaimed, crashing through the tall fronds to position himself by Ryuga's side.

The grass soon turned to stone, and the smoke from Bao's fire grew all the more visible in the dark sky. Yu inched closer to Ryuga, nervousness showing on his face, as plain as day. He grasped the teen's hand, seeming smaller than usual, his heart pounding with fear. Ryuga was compelled to pull away, but he didn't.

_Pathetic_, the inner demon of him sneered. Ryuga ignored it.

"It's going to be alright, you little street rat," he grumbled.

Yu's smile was forced.

* * *

Me: Guess what?

Yu: Ice-cream?

Me: No.

Yu: Candy?

Me: No. And don't say cake.

Yu: ...

Me: ...

Yu: ... Beybattle?

Me: I'M GOING TO AMERICA! WOOOOOOOOO! So excited! I'm going on a journey, just like the characters in this very story! I'm so pumped up and ready to write like there's no tomorrow! Plus, I'm getting to the chapters where I've already put down ideas. I heard that the Americans are choosing a new president...

Yu: So... there's no sweets?

Me: There's a buffet celebrating the upcoming immigration. Even Ryuga can't turn down mango cake... and mango ice-cream... and mangoes... and... Yu?

Yu: *already at the buffet*


	16. Halfway There

Kyoya: Why don't I talk much?

Gingka: I know, right! It's Ryuga this, and Ryuga that, and we don't even get to fight anymore! Geez, when do _we_ feel the love?

Ryuga: I'm her favorite.

Kyoya: You shut up...

Yu: HEY, GUYS! *looks around* Where's Fang?

Gingka: Eating mango ice-cream. She told me to - HEY!

Yu: *standing on top of a stage* DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters! *winks adorably* Read Chidsengan's story, Adýnama Tha Kerdísei:Weak Shall Win! It's awesome and super cool!

Fangirls: KAWAII!

Gingka: *sitting in emo corner* I was supposed to do the disclaimer...

* * *

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" Bao stood up and snarled, his eyes filled with malice. He drew his short sword and pointed it at Yu, who hid behind Ryuga, his body trembling with fear. "Ry... Ryuga..." he whimpered, clutching the older teen's cloak.

Gingka had never seen Yu look so terrified. He wanted to defend the boy, but he wasn't about to be skewered. Bao looked absolutely furious—very much like a demon, especially with the firelight reflected from his amber eyes. So he kept quiet and ate his apple like a good boy.

Ryuga glared back at Bao, putting a hand on Yu's head protectively. "Gods, he's just a kid."

"He's a thief."

"Get over it, then!" Kyoya snapped. "That was in the past, wasn't it?"

Bao growled stubbornly and refused to take his eyes off the new arrival. Great. Another person to add to Gingka's List of Stubborn People.

"Yeah!" Kenta said. He stood up. "Why do you hate him so much, anyway?" Everyone stared at Aguma and the twins, who were less crazy and more friendly than their cousin. Aguma just silently and calmly munched his fruit—it was obvious that he wasn't going to talk. Dan and Reiki fidgeted uncomfortably. "We just got here..."

"B-B-B-BULL!" Benkei yelled randomly, making heads turn in his direction. "Come on Bao, you could tell us!"

"I don't need to tell you _anything_!" Bao hissed. He slid his sword back into its scabbard and pulled a blanket out of the wagon. He set it on the ground and laid down on it, turning his back to the others. "So just lay off."

"Tch." Ryuga scowled and tossed two dead pheasants to Aguma, who caught the game and nodded gratefully.

"Kenta."

"Coming, Ryuga!" The green-haired boy trotted over to the older teen. "Hey, Yu. Wanna come with us?"

The other boy brightened. "Sure, Kenchi!"

Kenta didn't seem to mind the nickname.

** Ω**

The next few hours went by without too much conflict, much to Gingka's relief. He hated it when people fought. However, the tension between Bao and Yu seemed to be charged with lightning. Yu was wound up like a coil, as if he were waiting for the moment that Bao would try to kill him.

It was easier to think of Bao as a snake, and Yu as a tiny field mouse.

Gingka was never very close to anyone. Madoka and Hikaru were "besties." Kyoya had Benkei. Ryuga and Kenta were inseparable, and Yu had become part of their little group. Dan and Reiki were brothers—that counted. Even Bao and Aguma shared a closeness that defined them as almost brothers.

Gingka... well, he had no one.

Which didn't do much for his self-esteem.

He threw himself a little pity party in his head.

Gingka also hated nighttime. It was when the group settled down, making a campfire, cooking, eating, conversing—a truly horrible time. He'd had bad experiences with the night—the invasion, the arguments, the plans...

It was the night when Yu joined the group when Ryuga and Bao got into a fight.

Yu, Kenta, Hikaru, Dan, Reiki, and Gingka had started a discussion about blades, taking out their daggers and swords, and comparing fighting styles.

Gingka noticed that the weapons from Goren were built lightly. According to Dan, their style of fighting was all about endurance, but it was deadly, just the same. Ensis' weapons were broad and heavy. The fighting style revolved around strength and power.

"I gave up trying to use Goren's swords a long time ago," Reiki admitted, tapping his palm with the flat of his sword thoughtfully. "I just can't swing a blade that feels like it'll break any minute."

Hikaru ran a finger along the edge of the new broadsword. "Kyoya promised to teach me how to fight with a sword back in town," she grumbled. "I hope he hasn't forgotten." She flashed a glare at Kyoya, who shrugged indifferently and continued sharpening his sword.

Ever since they left Goren that morning, Kyoya had been becoming more distant than ever. Gingka often found his friend talking to himself when he thought no one was looking. It made him wonder if Kyoya was as sane as he seemed on the outside.

"I know a little bit about sword-fighting," Gingka said, biting into a roasted duck leg. Grease coated his fingers and dripped onto the ground. The meat was hot and fatty—it reminded him of Ensis, when the Academy students gathered around the courtyard to share meals. "Want a lesson tomorrow?"

"Sure." Hikaru forced a grin, her nose slightly wrinkled—probably at his manners. "Why not?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

"Will you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here!" Bao snapped.

To which Ryuga responded with: "Shut up and stop picking on little kids!"

Which, of course, ultimately ended with an argument.

In which Bao narrowly missed an arrow to his head.

The camp was in chaos—Bao tackled Ryuga to the ground, the two teens started a fistfight, rolling around on the dry soil as the others tried to separate the two. Suddenly, Ryuga was on top of Bao, a forearm against his opponent's throat, pressing down slowly. Bao emitted a series of gurgling noises as he struggled beneath the older teen.

Finally, Aguma—who looked strangely calm, but intimidatingly large—grabbed Ryuga by the waist and plucked him off his cousin as if the archer had weighed no more than a pillow. Squirming in the large teen's grasp, suspended in midair, Ryuga kicked and punched, struggling to free himself. Bao stood up, wiped some blood off his cut lip, and spat several curses at Ryuga, taunting him and saying some pretty disturbing stuff that made some of the others clamp their hands over their ears.

Gingka felt insulted that Ryuga had called him a little kid.

Aguma kept watch that night—probably to make sure that no one could slit any throats.

** Ω**

Gingka woke up to the sound of a sweet voice. "Gingka," it called softly. "It's time to wake up."

He opened his eyes groggily. "Madoka?" he murmured sleepily. As his eyes focused to get used to the sudden burst of sunlight that entered his vision, he realized that it _wasn't_ Madoka. "GAH!" He scrambled to sit up, glancing around in embarrassment to see if anyone heard. His ears were burning.

"Hmph!" Hikaru looked scandalized, crossing her arms in disgust.

Benkei and Kenta were snickering, whilst Aguma and Kyoya managed to partially hide their smirks behind their food. Bao just rolled his eyes. Madoka was blushing, casting shy glances at Gingka every now and again as she sorted herbs on the ground in front of her.

Thankfully, Ryuga and Yu were not in sight—they were hunting.

"We're going to reach the mountains tomorrow," Bao remarked, seeming in a better mood now that Yu wasn't around. "We're more than halfway to Sirius."

"Awesome," Kenta said.

Dan nervously twirled his sword. "And... how long, exactly, will it take for us to get there?" The scar that stretched from his left eyebrow to his upper lip moved like a snake as he spoke. Gingka noticed that Reiki's right arm and neck were nearly completely pink with burn marks. The two had been seriously injured. How did they get to Goren alive?

"Maybe two more days if we're quick," Aguma put in. "However, if we keep slowing down, it'll take longer."

Reiki groaned.

"How do people travel like this?" Dan whined.

"Usually, they ride in carriages," Hikaru said, "and if they're _really_ rich, they have those enhanced animals."

Benkei rolled onto his back. "I wish we were rich."

"Don't we all?" Kyoya said dryly.

Ryuga tromped up the well-trodden path that the group had made around their campsite, fresh game hanging from his belt—pheasants, and a large, tailless, rodent-like creature. He patted the heads of the oxen—Emi and Hideki—as he passed them. They grunted in return and nuzzled his hand.

"We're back!" Yu chirped from behind the teen.

"Oh, joy." Bao looked anything but happy.

Yu ignored the older teen, which was pretty impressive—Bao was pretty hard to ignore if he was angry. Yu skipped right past Bao without even glancing at him, gave the bag to Aguma, and plopped down next to Kenta, launching into a conversation almost immediately, words flying out of his mouth like arrows, his blond eyebrows furrowed.

"Kenta," Ryuga snapped over his shoulder. "Let's go. You too, Yu."

"Oh, yeah!" Yu's face brightened. "Training!"

Kenta stood and picked up his knife. "Alright!"

"We're leaving in ten minutes!" Bao growled, hefting one of the crates onto the wagon. "So hurry up!"

Kenta gave him a mock salute and sheathed his knife. Yu scampered to the road, humming loudly and off-key. Ryuga shoved a hand into one of his pockets, and put his free one in the air, not once glancing back. "Whatever."

Bao's nostrils flared. "Don't you 'Whatever' me!"

"Calm down, Bao," Aguma rumbled. "Just keep packing."

"Just keep packing." Bao repeated it to himself as if it were a mantra.

Gingka stood up—he was tired of sitting around. He was going to help.

* * *

Oh, I feel so bad for Bao... and Yu... Wonder what's up between those two? *knowing smile*

And Ryuga just had to be dragged in there.


	17. The Fallen Mountains

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade, thank goodness.

Ryuga: Agreed.

Me: No ice-cream for you!

Ryuga: No mango?

Me: Especially no mango!

Ryuga: Why?

Kyoya: Because she knows that you love mango. And by the way, I—

Me: Ahem!

Kyoya: —WE! Would like to inform our awesome readers that Tetsuya, the Garcias, and pretty much the other characters, are going to have to wait for a few more chappies before they appear because the trip through the mountains is going to take longer than DragonFang2011 anticipated...

Me: And I'm so grateful that you people are reading this! I LOVE YOU GUYS! GROUP HUG!

Ryuga and Kyoya: No.

* * *

Kyoya almost fell over as he tilted his head back to stare at the snow-capped mountains. _So these are the Fallen Mountains. _Kyoya found it odd that they were called that. The _Lapsis Montes_ stood tall and proud—an unyielding barrier of stone that has withstood any force, from earthquakes to magic, since the beginning of time.

"We have to cross... _that_?" Reiki's eyes were as wide as the grassland they'd just crossed.

Benkei, for once, was a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, probably at the thought of more walking—this time upwards.

Bao shook his head and pointed to the silver river they had been following for the last twenty-four hours, which snaked into a narrow break between two mountains. "No, we're going through the _Valle Prophetiae—_the Valley of Prophecy." He smirked. "The Valley of Prophecy... what a stupid name. Nothing very prophetical has ever happened there, besides a few legendary battles."

"Legendary battles?" Yu looked intrigued.

Much to the surprise of pretty much everyone, Bao nodded, without even glaring at the boy. "Sirius' current lieutenant earned his rank here, a few months ago, in the Battle of the Wild, against some valley monsters who'd sided with Fortissimus. A master at the dual swords. A child prodigy. Eliminated an entire army of Shadow Hunters, _Parva Mortem_, _Interfectorum Avis—_the works—by driving the regiments to the _Interminatis Abyssus _one by one, and shoved them right into the damn hole. Slayed all the strays. He was fourteen years old, and he's fourteen right now."

Kyoya didn't bother to comment—even though he wanted to—because he was too busy trying to figure out how Bao and Yu suddenly became best friends.

"And he was that young when he became lieutenant?" Benkei looked severely impressed, which was an easy thing to achieve, now that Kyoya snapped out of his daze and thought about it. "I thought you had to be at least sixteen years of age in order to get that high a rank!"

Bao shrugged. "I heard that one of the barons did it to punk him. And the king, being the careless, lazy, fat bastard he is, let him. Didn't really care about the army—too busy worrying over the rations that are being stocked in Sirius, and making sure that all those underground tunnels are safe to travel in just in case the city falls. But yeah, he let the kid become lieutenant."

"So, the lieutenant—he's about Kyoya's age?" Hikaru asked.

"Pretty much. I heard he's even got tattoos under his eyes. They call him The Eye of Horus." A roll of the eyes. "What a gods-damned stupid name."

_You think that everything has a stupid name_, Kyoya thought darkly.

"Isn't that the falcon god?" Madoka muttered.

"Yup. I forgot Lieutenant's real name, though. I know it rhymes with... um... mile..."

"You can at least show some respect for Horus!" Madoka said.

"Nile?" Dan put in.

Bao nodded, seeming excited to be talking about something other than the journey. "Yeah, Nile. He was born in the southern part of Gaelleon, where the desert is." He wrinkled his nose. "No wonder he came here—all that sand must've been horrible."

"I've always wanted to visit the desert!" Kenta said. "They have those pyramids there!"

"They say that it took a long time to build them!" Yu chimed in, his eyes sparkling. "But by some natives from before Gaelleon was even founded! That is so cool!" He turned to Ryuga, who had started towards the valley entrance. "How cool is that, huh, Ryuga?"

"Wait for us, will ya?" Reiki said, annoyed.

"Yeah, Ryuga, B-B-B-BULL!" Benkei roared, stomping over to the archer, who silently vanished into the dark cave.

Bao lit three torches and passed one to Aguma, another one to Kyoya, and the last one to Dan, who looked a little hesitant and more than a little scared to take it. Crimson Flash nickered and tried to back away from the gaping hole. "Come on," Bao said soothingly, petting the horse's muzzle. "It's just the dark."

It was truly puzzling how gentle he was towards his horse, and how harsh he was to other people, even to Aguma. Kyoya shook his head in amusement—Bao was a complicated person, after all—and tromped into the cave.

He felt hard, solid stone under his boots; unlike the Arcus Road or any other stone structure he'd been to, this felt natural—a part of the earth, carved into the mountain by the slow, but steady fingers of the river over a course of countless years when the world was still young and unmarred.

The cave walls were slick with moisture, the sound of the river ricocheting off them and filling the tunnel with a dull roar. Kyoya could see a dot of light at the end. He cast his torchlight over the cave floor, revealing the wide ledges that flanked the river.

Crimson Flash's hooves clopped against the stone, accompanied by a series of nervous snorts, and a few words of encouragement from Bao.

Kyoya walked carefully, trying not to lose his footing on the slippery stone. Low walls had been built to separate the roads from the water, but the paths still felt slimy under his heavy boots. He felt like the suddenly-unstable-seeming walls were closing in on him, as if the whole mountain was going to collapse on top of the group any minute.

Benkei's heavy footsteps and loud voice echoed through the tunnel. "It's so dark in here! Do you think there are monsters? Do people pass through here a lot?"

"Yes, you bozo." That was Hikaru.

"Don't call me a bozo!"

"Well, you are!"

"I am not!"

"Will you two shut up?" Ryuga snapped. His footsteps were soon inaudible. Benkei hurried after the archer, as the group went on in silence. The walls of the tunnel made Kyoya fell extremely cramped and claustrophobic.

Crimson Flash whinnied.

There was a loud thud behind Kyoya, nearly muffled by the roar of the river.

"Ow!" It was Bao's voice.

Kyoya turned around. The maroon-haired teen was sitting on the wet cave floor, clutching his ankle, his face twisted in pain. Crimson Flash was trying to nudge his master up, but Bao kept shaking his head and pushing the horse's head away. Dan was leaning over him, his torch casting sharp, dark shadows on Bao's wincing face.

Aguma had knelt down next to his cousin. "Broken," he said softly.

"It's nothing," Bao said, wincing. "I just slipped, is all."

"Doesn't seem like nothing to me," Madoka remarked, pressing down on his ankle. Bao responded with a pained hiss. "You're definitely not gonna be walking for a while, Bao. Not on that ankle." She was frowning. "Aguma, will you...?"

The large teen picked up Bao—who replied with a miffed protest, mixed with a yelp—and placed him on the wagon.

"I can walk!"

"Just swallow your pride and accept the help before I toss you into the river," Kyoya remarked, slightly annoyed at the older teen. Of course, he understood what he was going through, since it had happened to him a lot during their journey.

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Will you two stop fighting long enough for us to get out of here?" Hikaru growled, hopping back onto the back of one of the oxen—Emi, the pale-pelted one—with a grunt. "Then you could both yell at each other to your hearts' content!"

Gingka rolled his eyes. "You do realize that yelling at an injured person is pretty mean, right?"

She just shrugged.

Bao managed a pained smirk. "I'll live."

"Well, let's go," Kyoya said.

"Who died and made you leader?"

"Are we going to do this _again_?"

"Bao," Dan said. His cousin scowled.

Kyoya tightened his grip on his sword handle, ready for any danger—he hadn't heard a peep from Ryuga or Benkei yet—and forged ahead of the group and emerged out of the tunnel and into brightness. He shielded his eyes with his hand to help his vision adjust to the light, then pressed his torch to the grass to extinguish the hot flames.

_Wait, grass?_ He looked up.

_Whoa._

He'd expected the _Valle Prophetiae _to be barren and cold, just like the mountains that surrounded it, but this... was totally unexpected. The river ran through one of the most breathtaking sights Kyoya had ever seen, and so far, he'd seen some pretty amazing places.

The grounds were rich with grass and trees stretching even to the gentler sides of the mountains. Flowers bloomed everywhere—primrose, lilies, irises. A carpeting of tall purple and red-violet blooms covered the grounds next to the cliffs. Pink cherry trees were scattered all over the place, and a fragrant zephyr wafted the scents of fruit, grass, and flowers towards the tunnel entrance.

The valley was truly a wonder to behold. Kyoya took a seat on the grass, running his hands over the lush vegetation and the soft soil. The valley seemed to be a haven—closed off from the rest of the dying world—oblivious to the coldness around and above them, and the colder season was starting to settle.

Summer had ended many months—afterEnsis' invasion back in the northeast. It had seemed so long ago...

Just out of the periphery of Kyoya's vision, Benkei was stuffing himself with fruit.

And Ryuga was hugging a tree.

* * *

Me: Yeah, Ryuga really missed the forest, and now he's ready to live in the mountains! Woo-hoo! Unfortunately, Akane doesn't appear here...

Kyoya: She only appears at night, because she's a really old ghost.

Me: EVERYONE'S INVITED TO THE BUFFET!

Ryuga: Will there be mangoes?

Me: YES!

Ryuga: Alright.

Gingka: How 'bout burgers?

Me: I'd never forget them!

Bao: You people are nuts.

Ryuga: I know, right! This is what I have to deal with, everyday.

Bao: Ouch.


	18. Fireweed

Ryuga: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Kyoya: The chapter isn't the best because she's trying to make sure that everything makes sense. She'd like to thank all of her readers for reading her stories, putting up with her long updates, and, of course, reviewing.

Gingka: But... she's right here...

Ryuga: She is?

Gingka: Yeah, she's eating mango ice-cream...

Kyoya: Does everything revolve around mangoes?

Gingka: In her world, yeah. Apparently, they inspire her.

Ryuga: I'm getting a headache... you're reminding me of Jack...

Jack: HI! Who wants me to paint them a mural of—ACK!

Ryuga: BULLSEYE!

Gingka: Of course.

Kyoya: How'd he get here...?

* * *

Alright, Ryuga had to admit that he was pretty ecstatic to see trees again. Real live living trees, with trunks, leaves, roots, and even flowers and fruit. He just went up to the closest tree and hugged it. A big bear hug._ Oh, forest! I've missed you so much!_

He let go as soon as he saw Kyoya smirking at him.

"What're you looking at, Tategami?"

Kyoya shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just admiring the sights."

"Like you, hugging that tree!" Benkei interjected, laughing boisterously.

Ryuga hissed at him, and Kyoya snickered. Then, his expression turned somber.

"Bao broke his ankle."

Ryuga winced the slightest bit—he'd broken an ankle once, and it was not a memory he was very fond of. However, he knew that Bao would not take kindly to being pitied, so he just shrugged and looked around his surroundings once more.

The valley looked green and healthy. Peaceful.

_Too peaceful._

There was definitely something dangerous about the place, but he couldn't tell what. "Something's not right here," he said to Kyoya.

His companion nodded, his eyes darting around nervously. "It's winter out there, but in here, it's spring." He shifted uncomfortably and cocked his head, as if listening to a voice that only he could hear. "We have to go, now. We're in danger."

"This place is giving me the creeps!" Benkei said.

"Moron," Ryuga muttered.

"What was that?"

Ryuga was walking away, ignoring Benkei's cries of, "I know you said something!"

"Ryuga!" Kyoya hissed. "Get back here!"

He was going to hunt.

He trudged across the large clearing, his boots sinking into soft soil and grass, until a clump of trees blocked him off from the clearing. He breathed in the familiar forest air that he had been dying to scent for the last five, or six days.

Ryuga closed his eyes and focused on his objective—the hunt. His senses crept out as far as they could go, sweeping through the woods around him. A scuttle of small, quick paws caught his attention—squirrel, right in front of him.

Or was it behind him?

He cursed quietly and shook his head, trying to get his senses back in motion. The grasslands had been so open and windy, but the forest was quiet, the trees blocking out the noise of the wind. He'd been away from the woods for too long—he needed to get used to them once again.

A gentle breeze danced through the trees in front of him, bringing with it the scent of deer. He was downwind of it—now he needed to track it.

He carefully nocked an arrow onto the string of his bow and moved forward, using the ever-so-quiet hunter's tread he'd always used. He wove between the trees, trying to stay in shadow, and wishing—not for the first time—that his hair was not so distinctive. It was like wearing a big white, glowing sign on his head: _I'm dangerous, so run!_

After a few minutes, Ryuga stopped walking and ducked behind a fallen tree.

There it was.

A young buck was picking its way down the ravine that led to the valley entrance, delicately lifting his hooves, his eyes large and dark, probably oblivious to the arrow that was about to take his life. He pulled back the bowstring.

Suddenly, his quarry was down, a spear sticking out of his flank. The buck struggled for his breath, his small antlers raking across the ground.

And he stopped moving.

It took a moment for Ryuga to process what had happened.

Buck

Spear

Dead

People

Rustling

Run

His eyes widened, his heart thumping frantically, as he picked up an unfamiliar scent. He bolted as quietly as he came. He looked back just in time to see a group of people huddle around their catch, releasing a series of delighted musical screeches into the air.

Their voices were beautiful and melodious, sending a warm tingle up his spine.

For a second, Ryuga wondered if he should turn back and join them.

_Not a chance._

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"So let me get this straight," Kyoya said. "You went into the woods for five minutes, and came back with... nothing?"

"Absolutely _nothing_?" Benkei yelped.

Ryuga growled. "There are other people here in this valley. Lots of them!"

"Do you think they're a threat?" Gingka asked.

Dan and Reiki looked up from the firewood that they were arranging into a pile. "Are they hostile?"

"Describe them," Madoka pressed, taking out a roll of cloth from the medicine bag.

"They were..." Ryuga tried to recall what they looked like. "... pale. They had furs for clothes. I think they had tails." He frowned. "But... what I remember the most was that... they... They threw a spear at the buck I was planning to shoot, and they gathered around it and started some sort of song."

Bao's brow was furrowed in worry—or was that pain? Madoka was wrapping his ankle in a long strip of cloth. "Aguma?" the maroon-haired teen asked.

"Shadow Hunters," both Aguma and Kenta said immediately.

"Of course!" Kenta exclaimed. "They were in the Battle of the Wild, like you said, Bao. This is like, their natural habitat! We're on their territory!" He pressed his hands to his head in terror. "We're gonna die! We were doomed the heartbeat we stepped into this valley!" He stood. "It's not too late to leave! We could go over the mountains! Pack up! Pack up!"

Ryuga tried to be the considerate, compassionate person, and forced himself not to laugh at Kenta's panicked rant.

Key word: _tried_. He ended up snickering, and received a glare from Kenta. "It's not funny, Ryuga!"

"I'm not the only one." He pointed to Gingka, Yu, Dan, Reiki, and Benkei.

"Don't worry about it," Hikaru said. "People pass through this place all the time. It's safe. You know, as long as you're not alone. It's safe."

"Yeah," Bao said. "It's a shortcut. We'll be fine."

Reiki nodded. "We have weapons."

Kyoya stood up, concern flashing in his cornflower-blue eyes. "I knew that this place was bad news! If we're not leaving, then we need to set up some rules! If anyone's going somewhere, they shouldn't go far, and they shouldn't go by themselves!" He fixed a stern gaze on Ryuga, who blinked at him, like: _Who? Me?_

"Why are you trying to take charge again?" Bao snapped.

"I was pretty much in charge before we even met you!"

As their argument dragged on, Aguma spoke up. "Ryuga, you can't hunt around here anymore. At least, not without a partner."

Ryuga snorted. He was too busy seething at the unfairness of it all. _First day back in the forest and I can't even go there?_

_You could go there with a partner,_ some other part of his consciousness said.

_They'll just ruin it._

He closed his eyes and leaned against a boulder, deciding to try to locate the Shadow Hunters instead of arguing with himself. He came up with trees, flowers, mountains, water, animals, a couple of caves, but no Hunters. His senses had reached their very limits, and the images that were showing up in his mind were blurring at the edges. He concentrated until his head was throbbing with fire.

He couldn't take it anymore, and he stopped.

Ryuga blinked, trying to discard of the dark spots that were flooding his vision.

Hikaru edged closer to him until he could feel the heat radiating from her. The sun turned her hair into a pale blue color, and her eyes were shining with warmth. She held out one of the abundant purple flowers. "What type of flower is this?"

He arched an eyebrow. "What about it?"

She refused to meet his gaze as she twirled the flower in her fingers. "Just curious," she said. "You seem to know a lot about wildlife, and there's definitely something about these flowers that kind of creep me out." Then, she huffed. "But I could just ask Madoka if you don't want to talk." She began to stand up.

He smirked, amused at her pathetic attempt at flirting—obviously, it was her first time. _Or that the boys she usually flirted with back in Ensis were so easy to get_, he thought privately."Alright. Hand it over." He held out his hand.

Hikaru placed the plant on his palm, her fingertips brushing against his skin, as she tried to hide her face.

He examined the blooms. They were in a range of colors, from magenta to pink, and were neatly arranged on a tall stem. The leaves, however, were definitely not ordinary. The veins, instead of ending right on the edges of the leaves, looped back and joined together.

Those flowers—they were familiar; he _knew_ he'd seen them somewhere else... The name was on the tip of his tongue... The image of a blackened field filled his mind. The extremely faint smell of smoke, Ayumu's furious scowl...

"_Kids these days... Think it's funny to try to start fires..."_

"Fireweed," he said aloud.

That was the name of the red and purple flowers that were scattered across the ground of the treeless clearing. Fireweed grew in places that had been the site of a recent fire; no wonder the soil was so dark and soft—it was ash.

* * *

Gingka: That's a wrap!

Ryuga: Fireweed... that's a real plant, right?

Kyoya: Yeah. Review, please! The author would appreciate it!

Jack: Feedback is love!

Ryuga: I thought I killed you!

Jack: Shooting me with a suction cup arrow on the forehead isn't going to kill me.

Ryuga: Well, I'm sorry! Fang doesn't let me use real arrows!


	19. Trapped

Gingka: Fang does not own Metal Fight Beyblade! But I have to admit, I like this chapter. And you'll see why.

Kyoya: I really liked the last few lines. They were hilarious.

Ryuga: Tch. And there's a new mystery.

* * *

Falling...

Falling...

Falling...

He was falling.

Screaming.

Praying.

Then, he was underwater. Bubbles billowed around the boy's form, blanketing his surroundings with a flash of pale blue. It was dark and cold and he was scared and he didn't know which way was up or which way was down and he was panicking and he couldn't breathe...

Suddenly, his head popped above the surface, coughing and spitting out water. He gulped in lungfuls of air, waving his arms to stay afloat. His hand hit something cold and solid—ice.

Gingka chose a random direction and swam with long strokes, his eyes darting around frantically as he tried to look for land. The dot of light above his head was tiny, but it provided enough light for him to be able to see.

He finally dragged himself onto a pebbly beach and lay down.

An underground cavern.

Pointed rocks protruded from the stone floor and ceiling. The soft dripping of water echoed throughout the cave. He'd fallen through a hole.

_Where am I?_ Gingka thought worriedly. _What if I never get out of here? What if... no. I can't afford to think like that. I have to find a way out of here... _He shivered and hugged himself. His breath billowed as clouds in front of his face. Apparently, the warmth of the valley above did not spread to underground.

They had been out in the woods—himself, Kyoya, Ryuga, and Dan—scouting ahead as the group continued their journey across the valley. Ryuga had told them about fireweed, which apparently grew in places where there had recently been fire, and blah blah blah...

"_I think that the Shadow Hunters are using fire to kill people who wander into their territory!" Kyoya said. "It makes perfect sense! They could use their usual circling techniques and burn a ring of fire around the group while they're sleeping, then when the smoke weakens them, they strike!"_

_The idea didn't sit well with Aguma and Bao. "If that's what's been happening," Bao said, "then that means that the other people from Goren didn't stand a chance!"_

_It kind of made sense to Gingka, but Dan had risen up to challenge it. "Oh yeah?" the red-clad teen retorted. "Then why didn't they think of using fire before? They could've done that ages ago, while travelers pass through the valley!"_

_Reiki nodded. "I totally agree with Dan. Why now?"_

"_Because they didn't used to live here," Yu said. "They used to live all the way up in the mountains, all cold and miserable, because they had been cursed by the gods. The first Shadow Hunter was invited to some immortal party and she insulted some of the gods. They banished her and her kind all the way up to the mountain peaks, to live there, _forever_. They can't _ever_ leave the mountains! So when we get out of this place, they'll never follow us! Legendarily speaking, of course."_

"_But that doesn't explain why they live here _now_!" Kyoya argued. "How did they get down here if they're supposed to be stuck up there? It's just a myth!"_

"_You are such a logician!" Reiki snapped._

"_Do you even know what that means, dirt-for-brains?"_

_Bao growled. "Don't insult my cousin, tree hugger!"_

"_Wha—_he's_ the tree hugger!" Kyoya pointed to Ryuga._

_The archer sighed in exasperation. "Are we done with the debate?" he said dryly. "If you haven't noticed, our main priority is to survive." He gave one of his arrowheads another good rub with a sharpening stone. "I was just warning you."_

"_Ryuga's right," Hikaru said._

"_Am I ever not?"_

_She blushed and avoided his gaze._

_Kyoya rolled his eyes at the two. "We have to keep moving, and we have to move faster. Maybe they won't get us." But as he walked away to practice his sword-fighting, Gingka thought he heard him say, "Maybe..."_

"Kyoya?" he called. "Ryuga? Dan?"

"Gingka!" Kyoya yelled. "Are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine! Sort of! I—"

Ryuga's voice cut him off. "Just get on with it, half-wit! It's either you're fine or you're not!"

Gingka scowled.

"We'll get you out of there!" Dan promised.

"What are we gonna do, genius?" Ryuga drawled sarcastically. "We'll somehow lower an extremely long 100-foot rope down to him? Get real, man."

Dan sounded furious. "You...!"

"No!" Gingka said. "I'll... I'll find... a way out! Don't worry about me!"

"Don't worry about you?" Kyoya exclaimed. "Are you serious? We'll go back and find the others! Just stay put and we'll come up with something!"

"Keep going!" Gingka said, standing up and heading away from the water. "I'll meet you at Calor!"

"Gingka!"

The redhead stopped walking. Two dark entrances loomed over him, etched into the cave wall—both pitch-black and scary-looking. He frowned, trying to see which one to use. They looked identical. It was so quiet that the only sound Gingka heard was a pebble clattering down the slope.

"Gingka?" Dan's voice was trembling. "You still there?"

"There are two tunnels here!" Gingka said. "Which one do I take?"

"Pick the one with the air flowing through it!" Kyoya suggested.

"Alright!" Gingka nervously shuffled into the right-hand tunnel. Before he could change his mind, he said, "I'll see you later!" And he was plunged into darkness.

The sound of his footsteps bounced off the smooth walls, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he should just turn back and scream for his friends to help him. But he had been walking for so long, his clothes were almost dry.

_No_, he thought. _I've already gone so far. I can't turn back now. And besides, they're probably already gone._

The tunnel started to narrow.

Then, it ended. Just like that. There was a tall cleft in the dead end, glowing orange and white. Heat was radiating from it like waves. The cleft was pretty small, but fortunately, Gingka was skinny. He squeezed into the entrance and found himself standing on a stony ledge.

Over a vast pool of magma.

"Great." He sighed and started to turn back when something caught his eye—on the other side of the magma pool was a large wooden door, with pale light shining through the cracks. The heat as so intense that he as beginning to sweat.

_Could it be the exit?_

… _Only one way to find out._

Gingka scanned the cave and spotted three tall, cylindrical stone columns protruding from the surface of the magma. He knew that if he fell into the molten rock that he was dead—no doubt about it. He felt the heavy coil of black rope hanging from his belt and took a deep breath.

He ran a hand along the wall of the cave nearest to him, marveling at the smooth, dark stone. Instead, he found something else—letters, carved into the black stone. They were written in a language that he had never heard of, except in the names of legendary places.

_filius de magicis_

_susurratori de mortuorum_

_dimidio sanguine de tenebris bellatorum_

_de equus alatum_

_de leonis_

_de ignis draco_

_coniungimus ad vincere tenebras_

_natus ab terra_

The handwriting was rough and ragged, and the lines became less deep as more was written, as if scratching the words into the rock had sapped the writer's strength—maybe he had died right after... By the last letter, the words were barely readable.

Gingka shuddered—he needed to get out of there. He took a running start and aimed for the nearest column. He felt the searing heat of the magma as he leaped right over it. He landed on his knees on the first column and sighed in relief.

The second column was easy as pie.

_Now time for the third one. _This looked farther away than the others were. The millionth bead of sweat trickled down Gingka's face as he bunched his muscles and jumped.

The breath was knocked out of him as he landed, his stomach hitting the edge of the column. He dug his fingers into the stone, trying to find a handhold, but he kept slipping until he was hanging on the absolute edge with his fingertips. He yelped as a searing pain flashed through his hands as his fingernails bent and bled to keep himself on the column.

And he fell.

As he hurtled towards his certain death, time seemed to slow down.

_What's going to happen to my friends? Will they ever get out? Will the Shadow Hunters get them? Is the war ever gonna end? How did Bao and Yu make up? What does that writing on the wall mean? Will Hikaru and Ryuga ever get toge—_

_NO! I might never know if I win my bet with Kenta, Yu, Kyoya, Benkei, Dan, Reiki, and Madoka about Ryuga and Hikaru! If those two get together, I won't get my five silver pieces and that dish that Madoka was planning to reward me with!_

_Oh, _no_! I'll never know if Madoka likes me!_

Those thoughts just made him want to cry. He really wanted that food.

And, of course, he wanted to live. And he like-liked Madoka.

But he still wanted the food.

Strangely, he was starting to embrace the fact that he was about to die.

_Maybe this isn't so bad... No war to worry about, no Shadow Hunters to worry about..._

_Maybe this isn't so bad..._

Suddenly, a loud whinny resonated off the walls of the magma chamber and Gingka found himself on the back of the most beautiful horse he'd ever seen. It was smoothly muscled, with a sleek white coat, and pale blue doe-like eyes, and shimmering feathered wings.

* * *

Gingka: PEGASUS!

Kyoya: Awesome. So when does Leone show up?

Me: I don't even think I'm gonna put him in here.

Kyoya: WHAT?

Ryuga: What about L-Drago?

Me: Spoiler Alert—most likely not.

Kyoya: WHAT? So you put Gingka's stupid constellation in here, but not my precious baby Leone? You are sick, woman! SICK!

Gingka: HEY!

Ryuga: And what about L-Drago?

Me: Oh yeah, and if you want to find out what those words in the wall mean, do some homework and follow these instructions I'm gonna give, which are in Pig Latin!

O gay o tay oogle gay ranslate tay nd aay ut pay he tay ranslator tay rom fay atin lay o tay nglish eay nd aay opy cay nd aay aste pay he tay he tay essage may nto iay he tay ranslator tay!

Gingka: Wha...?

Kyoya: Yeah, yeah. Just read and review!


	20. Shadow Hunters

Me: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I've been waiting to post this for over three months!

Kyoya: Don't you mean over five months?

Me: Over five months!

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 doesn't own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters used in this story, except for her own OCs. If she owned the show... gods help us all.

* * *

Kyoya felt Ryuga's and Dan's presences on either side of him as the three teens continued to explore the woods. His mind was almost dead worrying about Gingka. What if he died? The nitwit was extremely wimpy and cowardly. _Who knows what's in those tunnels?_ He shuddered, trying not to think about it.

When they had gotten back to the campsite, Bao had told them that there was nothing they could do about it, and they voluntarily continued looking for danger as they tried to collect their thoughts. But everyone was worried about Gingka, Kyoya knew. The redhead was annoying, but he was likeable.

He didn't know what he'd do if any one of his friends died.

Suddenly, someone yanked on the back of his cloak. "Watch out, Tategami!" Ryuga snapped.

Kyoya found himself standing on a rocky ledge that hung over the _Interminatis Abyssus—_a seemingly endless sea of black nothingness. He was trembling. The ledge groaned under the weight of himself, Dan, and Ryuga. It was going to fall.

"Thanks, Ryuga," he said.

The archer grunted.

Dan let out a long sigh—Kyoya knew that he blamed himself for Gingka's falling into the hole. "Looks like we're gonna have to tell everyone else to go around it," the blond said, gesturing for the three to turn around and go back.

It was too late.

About a dozen pale-skinned female humanoids with pointed ears, fur on their upper arms, and tails crept out of the shadows, some smirking evilly, some wearing grins of excitement on their angled faces. As they stalked around the three teens, the weapons clutched in their clawed hands glinted. Bones, teeth, stones, jewels, and scraps of cloth were woven in the hair and the furry clothes of most of the females, and dried mud covered their bodies, probably as camouflage.

"Shadow Hunters," Kyoya growled, shifting his grip on his sword. That was one of their most famous battle strategies—circling their targets like animals. A ways in front of him, Ryuga fitted another arrow into the string of his bow, moving towards Kyoya and Dan until the three teens were standing back-to-back-to-back.

"No one move," Kyoya whispered. "Or this ledge will break."

One of the Shadow Hunters stepped forward—the mud that coated her body nearly hid the bright red of her hair, and the intricate black tattoos adorning her skin that marked her as the leader of her pack.

"We're definitely going to have some fun with this little bunch. Don't you agree, girls?" She licked her crimson lips with a forked tongue and ran a long claw along the blade of her thin sword, her demonic red tail swaying from side to side in anticipation. Most of the females behind her giggled, as if they were each sharing an inside joke with her.

They were promiscuous coquettes. Great.

Kyoya was already developing a plan of escape. He didn't know much about Shadow Hunters, but..._Shadow Hunters have long lifespans. Most of them must have lived in the mountains at some point before they came down here. And the only food they might have are birds, like eagles. So they could jump. Unless they could shoot. But none of them are carrying archery equipment._

_If I can figure out how they attack, I might be able to use it against them when they're disoriented. I just have to put us in the right situation_.

_Here goes nothing._

Keeping his steps light, Kyoya feinted towards the forest. Everything after that was so quick, he wasn't even sure it happened.

A powder-blue-haired Hunter pounced with a snarl, her copper eyes flashing. She leaped at least ten feet in the air and slammed into him. He was knocked into Dan and both of them almost toppled off the cliff but Ryuga caught them and pulled them up and he heard the rock crack beneath them and his head was spinning because the Hunter had hit him she hit him hard hard hard on the head and he couldn't focus—

"You really think you can escape me?" the leader sneered haughtily. "In all my life, never has anyone escaped from me."

"Wanna make a bet?" Kyoya snapped.

Suddenly, at least three-quarters of the girls started talking.

"I want the one with the scars under his eyes. He's a feisty one."

"Awww! I wanted him!"

"I call dibs on the sexy guy with the bow!"

"No way, slut! He's mine! You got the last one!"

"So did you!"

"Jade green is so my color!"

"How about that adorable blond?"

"Yeah, I totally agree! I want the blond!"

"Get your own guy!"

"Seriously, Genevieve? There are only three of them! One of whom you almost killed!"

"Sorry, but the stupid human was trying to escape!"

"Girls, girls!" their leader yelled. "Calm down—you'll get a turn with the man of your choice!" She rolled her eyes—obviously, her pack argued over lost dudes all the time.

"W-What?" Dan sputtered. "No! No one's getting me!"

"Oh, that's adorable!" a Hunter exclaimed. "You actually think you have a choice!" The rest of the group chuckled, guffawed, giggled, and made other forms of laughter, making it seem like a lightning bolt was about to touch down on the ground.

Poor Dan turned pale.

A raven-haired Hunter inched closer to Ryuga and giggled, flashing a set of sharp canines. "This one's a virgin! I can smell it!"

"What the—HEY!" Ryuga scowled and backed away, almost toppling Dan and Kyoya over. He was blushing furiously, like: _You don't have to announce it to the world!_

_A virgin?_ Kyoya almost laughed out loud. _I'm not surprised. Ryuga's a 16-year-old anti-social grump with an extremely unfriendly personality—of course he's still a virgin! _He felt Ryuga's glare on him, as if the archer knew what he was thinking. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Tategami."

Kyoya refused to obey him.

"They're all virgins, Tolly!" A taller girl—Genevieve, Kyoya believed—rolled her copper eyes at her fellow Shadow Hunter.

"Well, who cares? I wanna keep this one!" Tolly squealed, batting her long eyelashes. "'Cause I'm a virgin, too, and I seriously want this guy as my _first_!" She darted over to Ryuga with inhuman speed and clung to his arm, her triple-ponytails-hairstyle bouncing. He yelped. "H-Hey! Get off me, you little pest!"

"Can I keep him? Can I keep him? Can I keep him?" she begged her leader. "_Please_, Mother?"

_Mother?_

The leader's eyes—as pale blue as ice—flickered uncertainly to the rest of the group. "I can't promise you anything, sweetheart," she said finally. "But since it's your first hunt, you could get the first turn." Her gaze swept over the group, daring anyone to challenge her.

"But _Demitria_!" one of the girls whined. "That's not fair!"

"By the way, Tolly, there's no such thing as spending your life with one guy," a green-haired girl grumbled sourly.

"Yes, there is!" Tolly huffed. "Most humans do it!"

"Yeah, but they're _human_!" the other Hunter spat, scrunching up her nose at that final word. Then, she added dramatically, "I don't know how those ruffians do it! It must be torture! Besides, there aren't a lot of male Hunters! The past few months were the best of my life!"

_Ew._

Tolly batted her eyelashes again and stared up at Ryuga, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. "I'm a virgin," Tolly purred.

"So I've heard."

The leader—Demitria—was eyeballing Ryuga, her emotions seeming like a mix of interest, confusion, hunger, and fury. The tip of her tail was twitching.

The Hunters were distracted, chatting amongst themselves. Without warning, Ryuga quickly pulled back the string of his bow and sent an arrow flying towards a Hunter with purple hair and crimson eyes. She went down like a rock, black blood seeping from the hole in her neck.

"He killed Fruoia!" the green-haired Hunter shrieked.

"Attack!" Demitria roared, her pale blue eyes turning into slits.

A Hunter lunged, and Kyoya dropped to the ground and grabbed her arms and pushed her over the edge of the cliff. He felt her claws pierce his skin and winced.

The others attacked and the ledge began to crumble and everyone was screaming. Dan was shrieking bloody murder as a Hunter tackled him to the ground. Kyoya felt himself start to slide down down down towards that abyss underneath him...

He was dangling over nothing, his fingernails digging painfully into dusty stone, sweat and blood coating his body.

Dan dived forward and caught Kyoya's hand, digging his heels into the ground for support. Kyoya felt the jagged rock cutting into his chest and stomach, and scraping away at his torso. His hand was sweaty and slick with blood from his fingernails, and his grip was slipping.

Someone's hand closed around his ankle with a loud snarl, digging claws through leather boot and into skin. Kyoya yelped as his fingers slid through Dan's, pulled away by the extra weight.

"Kyoya!" Two strong hands grasped his wrist and pulled him up with ease, setting him carefully on solid ground.

"Oh, hey, Benkei." Kyoya tried to sound like he hadn't been about to die, but he couldn't help feeling rattled. He could only watch as his friend picked up the Hunter—who was starting to stand up—and tossed her into the abyss. Her screams rivaled those of banshees.

Dan enveloped him in a hug. "Kyoya, for a second, I thought you were a goner!"

Kyoya had to grin at that, but he winced as he stood up shakily. His leg screeched with protest.

Five bodies were lying dead on the ground, all with an arrow or two in their necks, eye sockets, or hearts. An empty quiver had been thrown into a dry, tubercular shrub, its strap cut. Stray weapons—broken arrows, mostly—littered the ground like fallen leaves.

A bow laid on the ground, snapped in half. The owner was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Gingka: Did I just read what I think I just read?

Kyoya: You mean that both you and me nearly fell to our deaths from a high place?

Me: There's a difference between a ledge crumbling over an endless abyss during a Shadow Hunter attack, and a clumsy, wimpy oaf nearly falling into a pool of magma!

Ryuga: Good one.

Gingka: Again. Hey!


	21. Half-Blood

Ryuga: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. Otherwise, we'd all be insane. And she's gonna pay for writing this chapter.

Kyoya: It's a funny chapter!

Kenta: Ryuga almost dying is not funny!

Kyoya: Shut up.

Ryuga: *growl*

* * *

She was catching up to him.

Tolly had escaped into the forest, along with Genevieve. Like cowards.

But the leader, Demitria—she was chasing him.

He had no weapons on him.

His knife had fallen into a shrub, somewhere.

His bow was broken in two when he had tried to shoot an arrow at an oncoming Hunter, who'd tackled him to the ground and crushed it, right before Ryuga had stabbed her with an arrow. That bow was special. His father had made it for him—four, five years ago, in the forest, on that boulder near the river they used to sit on. Now it was gone, and so was a piece of him.

He could only run for his life.

Ryuga had been running for a long time, but he was only starting to tire. The trees were dark blurs as he whipped past them, his feet light. Fear and adrenaline pumped through his veins, encouraging his legs to run faster.

But she continued to gain on him, even though he'd gotten a several meters' head start. She was fast—she was faster than him.

Apparently, she also seemed to hate him. She wrapped her arms around his legs as she tackled him to the ground, hissing like the wild animal she was. They struggled to beat the other. She was stronger. She was far more agile.

_I think that we weigh the same! Huh. Twenty-seven pounds, too?_

Soon, she was sitting on his hips, her cold hands wrapped around his neck, claws just touching the fragile skin. Her long, red, muddy hair hung in dark clumps of mud and blood, entangled with tiny bones and feathers. Her icy-blue eyes were cold.

"I smelled your mother's scent," she growled. "It's all over you." Disgusted scowl. "S' been stale for years, but I can still smell it."

"You knew my mother." It wasn't a question.

"I killed her."

He frowned. "You're lying. She died in childbirth."

"She died delivering a child to Calor," Demitria spat.

Ryuga smirked in grim amusement. "And why would she do that?"

"How am I supposed to know?" She was lying.

"She stole Hatori from me," she said bitterly. "It was our first hunt and he was lost in the mountains and he was mine and she stole him from me and helped him escape and she bore his children." She slightly tightened her grip on his throat. "You and your brother, Ryuto."

He could barely speak. "Ryuto's dead."

"Oh, _that_ I know. I killed him too."

_She. Did. Not. Just..._

"What are you talking about? I'm telling you, my mother died in childbirth, and Ryuto died soon after."

Demitria gave him a smirk that indicated that she wasn't very sane. "Your mother was one of _us_. Her father was a Hunter from Vienedour. Her mother was born here, in these mountains. And since she's half Vienedour, she was free of the curse and was able to leave this place. It's not the first time a half-Hunter was born."

No.

No.

No.

Impossible. He was full human, and the last time he'd checked, he didn't have fur, pointed ears, a tail, claws, extremely angled features, and an amazing singing voice—he was a _horrible_ singer. The last time he sang, it was when his father was still alive.

_Hatori laughed good-naturedly and ruffled his pouting twelve-year-old son's spiked hair. "Rye, I'll be honest with you. You'll never get a girl through a serenade. Just stick with that Kishatu charm and good looks of yours, 'kay?"_

"_Dad!"_

But it did explain why he had inhuman reflexes, enhanced senses, could run faster and longer than an average human, and could jump pretty damn high.

Oh, and his sixth sense. Can't forget that.

And that time when he fell from that snake's jaws and did not die.

_So I'm half human and half Shadow Hunter... Don't do that, Ryuga. Just keep denying it!_

"That's bullshit. You're crazy, woman. There's no way I'm one of you."

"Oh, but you are, darling."

"Don't call me that," Ryuga snarled.

"You will never escape your heritage, half-blood," she purred into his ear. "Your mother was a traitor, and she died. Now you shall die as well." Her bloody-lipped smirk widened, and a wild light danced in those pale blue eyes. "Traitors always die."

Her cold, tattooed hands snaked around his neck and squeezed, keeping her claws well away from his skin. It was suddenly much harder to breathe... His hands fumbled for something—anything—to use as a weapon. He came up with only soil and leaves.

_Soil._

He quickly swept a spray of dirt into Demitria's eyes. She howled in agony, and he got to his feet. He stumbled around the clearing, senses muddled as he tried to figure out how to breathe properly again. Nothing seemed to be clear to him.

Claws sank into his shoulder and hand into neck as she pushed him down against a tree. She sat on his legs and pinned one hand to the ground with her tail, and another with her own fingers. "If you _ever_ try that again..." she crooned, caressing his face. She left the threat hanging.

Fresh air flowed into his lungs as she took her palm off his throat.

She neatly sliced the front of his tunic open, leaving four long, shallow cuts scored down his chest. He bit back a scream.

"How shall I start?" she whispered, running a hand down his abdomen, over the smooth muscle, and circling the rim of his belly button. "Maybe with your eyes—they're lovely eyes, by the way. Like your father's. You look almost exactly like him." Her wistful smile turned into a scowl once again. "Too bad you have to be _her_ son."

Silence met her words.

"She was my sister, you know."

Ryuga's eyes widened in shock. _This perverted woman's my aunt? _Not_ awesome._

"Yes, that's right. And that makes you my nephew. Such a shame I have to kill you—you're a handsome young man. But I'll take your head when I'm done with you—how does that sound?" Thus confirming it—she was not sane.

"Great," he scoffed.

"I could have left here, too, but I had to care for my pack—I was leader. Until _you_ came. You killed off half of my pack. We are the last Hunters on this mountain, and you killed off half of us. You shall wish you've never done that."

"I don't regret anything."

"You are a traitor to your kind," Demitria snarled.

She leaned forward and dug a needle-sharp claw into the delicate skin that covered the upper left side of his cheekbone. Her claw hit bone as she continued to carve a design into his flesh. He yelped, unable to take the pain, and she slapped her hand over his mouth. "Hush, you!" Squeezed his neck in a grip ten times stronger than her previous ones.

The lightheaded feeling that he experienced was intense.

But both of her hands were busy strangling him.

_Now's my chance._

He took the opportunity to rake his now-free hand over the forest floor and picked up a large, rough stone. Everything was hazy. Everything was moving—everything was so much brighter. He was seeing double. Black spots hovered on the edge of his vision, unsure about whether to overwhelm him or not.

Confused.

There were two of her.

Blurry, wavering.

_Which one? _He clumsily slammed the stone against both of their temples. They crumpled to the ground, blood trickling from the identical narrow gashes on their brows. Gradually, his vision cleared and the two Demitrias merged into one.

Ryuga knew that she wasn't dead yet. He pushed himself into a sitting position, panting with the effort. His wounds from the battle throbbed with pain. The cut under his eye stung like hell, and blood poured from it rapidly, like a waterfall.

They twitched, and then groaned. "Half-blood..." they growled. The words echoed. They held an indescribable loathing.

Ryuga's heart pounded as she stood, raising her hands for the final blow. She was not going to be holding back this time.

_So this is how prey feels_, he thought dryly.

A tall shape brought down a sword on her neck, cutting through bone and artery and throat. Her head fell to the ground, the mad light from her eyes vanished; it was replaced with the lifelessness known as death—a lifelessness that Ryuga had seen hundreds of times before on prey.

"You okay there, Ryuga?" Yu's face popped into view,

"Ryuga..." That was Kenta's voice.

The figure with the sword—Reiki—sheathed his weapon and sent a hesitant glance to the decapitated Shadow Hunter, then to Ryuga. "We gotta get you back to camp," he said. Then, he looked around worriedly. "Where are Kyoya and Dan?"

"And Benkei?" Yu demanded. "Have you seen Benkei? We were out looking for you—you guys were gone too long!"

"I haven't seen Benkei," Ryuga rasped.

"Don't make him talk!" Kenta snapped at Yu. "Can't you see he's injured?"

The blond raised his hands. "Sorry!"

A sigh. "That's okay. I was just worried." Kenta still didn't look forgiving.

Suddenly, Kyoya stumbled into the clearing, followed by Benkei and Dan. One of Benkei's brown eyes was in the middle of a patch of black and purple, and a long cut ran down his left arm, but he was supporting Kyoya, whose face and hands were streaked with blood. Dan's already-scarred face had a claw scratch on the right side, and his tunic was torn and bloody.

Reiki rushed towards his brother to hug him. "Thank the gods you're safe, bro!" He was quiet for a second. "Is that lipstick?"

"Right before the ledge crumbled into the abyss..." Benkei began in a serious tone. "... a Shadow Hunter kissed him!" he finished teasingly.

Dan's face turned red. "Never speak of it!"

"Dude!" Reiki snickered.

"He pushed her off the cliff, though," Benkei said.

Reiki's mouth fell open in shock. "You just threw your first kiss off a cliff. Not cool, man!"

"My 'first kiss' is a sick, twisted demon who wanted to kill me! What else was I supposed to do—give her flowers?" Dan looked completely repulsed. "I don't know about you, bro, but I like my girlfriends completely and utterly _human_. Shadow Hunters are just... ugh..." He shuddered.

Ryuga winced. _Burn._

Kyoya met Ryuga's gaze with a concerned blue one and limped towards him. "You alright?"

He barely managed to nod. _If "alright" means scarred for life because of what I've just been told by my "sick, twisted demon" auntie, then yes, I'm alright._

_No one needs to know._

_What are you talking about? She was bluffing._

_Was she?_

"Hikaru's gonna have a fit when she sees you like this," Kyoya joked, trying to shake off the tense, nervous silence that had settled over the two teens. "Some Prince Charming you are."

Ryuga noticed that two of his companion's fingernails have been torn off; his fingers were skinned and bleeding. "Tch," he muttered. "You've looked better." A smirk graced his features, but it turned into a wince as he shifted uncomfortably.

Benkei gently lifted him off the ground and into his arms. Ryuga hissed as the wounds on his chest gushed out more blood. He covered the wounds reflexively. "Hurts..." he mumbled weakly, and then silently cursed at himself for sounding so pathetic and Gingka-like.

"It's nothing I haven't noticed before, Ryuga, but I'll just go right out and say it now—you're _really_ light, ya know that?" Benkei quipped. He shifted his grip and furrowed his eyebrows in mock thought. "Hm... How much do you weigh—twenty-seven pounds?" Everyone else laughed at his comment.

The response was a growl.

* * *

Gingka: Pathetic and Gingka-like? What am I—a punching bag?

Kyoya: Maybe.

Ryuga: You have no idea how much I hate you right now.

Me: Zero percent?

Ryuga: ...

Kyoya: Your aunt is messed up.

Benkei: And so is your weight!

Ryuga: Aw, shut up!

Gingka: And your race.

Ryuga: It's just a freaking story!

Me: Try to guess which pairings I'll be putting into the story! They could be about characters who haven't showed up yet! They don't have to only be members of the main group!

Gingka: *grinning* I'll put in a guess!

Me: Did I say that I'll be putting GalaxyShipping in here?

Gingka: *puppy-dog face* But... but...

Me: But, yeah, I am. You're just so cute together!

Gingka: YAY! *skips off into the sunset*

Ryuga: Great. You've gone off and made him happy.


	22. Pegasus, the Winged Horse

Yu: Kyoyo's not here to do the disclaimer because he's having a big battle with someone who threatened to hurt him if he didn't battle her—some of you guys know her—so I'll be doing it in his place! I'm so excited! *hums* So... DragonFang2011—

Ryuga: No, _I'll_ be doing it! Fang promised to give me some mango cake and a hundred bucks if I did!

Yu: Fang promised me five tubs of ice-cream and my own personal butler!

Me: *rubs hands together* Yes... Fight, my pretties... *crazy cackle*

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the canon characters!

Yu and Ryuga: *growls at Kyoya*

Me: Your battle's over?

Kyoya: Apparently, I got the time wrong. I checked my e-mail again—the battle's at five. I mixed it up with the time I had to do the disclaimer.

Yu: I'll do it, too! DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade! *puppy-dog eyes* Can I get my prizes now?

Me: Sure!

Ryuga: I'll do it!

Me: Sorry. Two spots only.

Ryuga: You're doing this just to spite me, are you?

* * *

"Wow" was the only word that Gingka could muster as he stared in awe at the white Pegasus before him. Now that they were out of the cave, the winged horse's white coat gleamed in the sunlight ever so brightly. It took one step forward and nudged Gingka's face. He tentatively ran his hand over the velvety muzzle. The horse whinnied.

Gingka laughed and continued petting it. "You like that, don't you, big fella?"

The Pegasus looked down on him with those pale doe-like eyes.

Gingka blinked. "Huh."

"Well," the redhead said hesitantly. He stepped away from the white horse and put a hand up in farewell. "Thanks for saving me. But I can't stay; I have to go find my friends. Take care now!"

Gingka turned. He felt something warm and damp press into the back of his neck. He turned around. "Hey, I have to leave, alright?" he told the winged horse. "Now, stay." Not breaking eye contact, Gingka started to slowly back away.

But after a few steps, the horse fidgeted and made a move to walk.

"Stay," Gingka said more firmly. "Go back into your cave, or something."

The Pegasus nickered. Gingka felt his heart soften, and his glare wavered. The horse carefully grabbed the sleeve of his shirt between its teeth and pulled him back to the cave. Gingka sighed and gave in. "Alright, but just for a while."

The cave exit was nearly hidden behind a curtain of ivy tendrils. The orange light of the magma was still visible through the cracks in the door, which was decorated with rusted iron accents, and the wood was damp and dark with age.

Gingka felt the winged horse's grip on his shirt sleeve relax a bit. He examined the door curiously.

There was a drawing—one of a spiky-haired boy riding a Pegasus, soaring through the skies—carved into the wooden surface. The boy was wearing a cloak, wielding a staff topped with a "glowing" sphere. But the most unnerving detail was that he was wearing a scrap of cloth around his forehead.

Gingka unconsciously touched his headwear, then put a finger on the drawing.

"Is that supposed to be me?" he muttered to himself.

Slowly, another carving appeared in the door—this time, it was a set of words. Gingka widened. These were the words that were carved into the wall of the cave!

_filius de magicis_

_susurratori de mortuorum_

_dimidio sanguine de tenebris bellatorum_

_de equus alatum_

_de leonis_

_de ignis draco_

_coniungimus ad vincere tenebras_

_natus ab terra_

He turned to Pegasus. "Do you know what this means?"

The Pegasus tilted its head to the side.

"Oh, who am I kidding? You're a horse—you can't talk." Gingka sighed again. "I wonder, though... Is this, like, fate?"

"Of course it's fate, you stupid little—oh, look; I can talk! I _can_ talk! And by the way, I can't read, so I haven't got a clue about those scribbles in the door or the wall—trust me, I've tried to comprehend that carving in the cave. I think a guy crawled in there and carved it in with the staff from the drawing. Then he died. Too bad. I really wanted to ask him some questions, but I was half asleep in my nest, which, by the way, is extremely uncomfortable—it's made of pebbles. I haven't eaten anything in a really long time and—ooh! A butterfly!" It watched a yellow butterfly flutter past.

Gingka's eyes widened. "Did you just... speak?"

"Didn't you just hear my voice? Do you see another talking Pegasus around here, or something?" the horse snapped rudely. "I'm sorry—I didn't know that there was another winged horse in this world!" He turned his head away and snorted haughtily.

"N-No?" Was he dreaming? He pinched himself.

But the Pegasus kept talking. "You have got to be one of the dumbest humans I have ever met—not that I've met any. I've been stuck in that cave for eons, unable to speak, and you were the only one who could free me—which you did—so now we're partners, bound for life. I die, you die. You die, I die. So, don't die."

Both boy and horse were quiet for a while, staring at each other tensely.

"But you look like the kind of guy who dies easily, so I'm as good as dead—so are you, by the way. You know," the Pegasus said, "I'm disappointed—I expected you to be taller and more muscled than that. You're as scrawny as a chicken. But life's a disappointment. Seriously."

Another silence passed between them.

"So, let me get this straight," Gingka began. "You are a talking Pegasus—"

"_The_ talking Pegasus. I'm the only existing Pegasus—"

"Alright—_the_ talking Pegasus." Gingka rolled his eyes. "Y—"

"I saw that eye-roll! I may have been trapped in a cave for as long as the sun has been alive, but I know what an eye-roll means!" The winged horse shook his head in agitation. He swished his tail and turned in a circle. "Agh—damn flies!"

Gingka's eye twitched. "They like your smell."

The Pegasus sent him a disgusted glance. "Why don't you just thank me for saving your life?"

"I did!"

"Do it again. Grovel at my feet, puny human." The Pegasus tapped the ground with a pale blue hoof.

"I won't grovel at your feet! Which you don't have! You have hooves!"

"Don't lecture me! I know I have hooves!"

They had a glaring contest.

"You seemed so nice at first. But looks can be de—"

"I needed you to trust me."

"And now I don't. Great job, horse."

"... I'm Pegasus, oaf."

"Well—"

"You're not a hero, are you?"

Gingka sighed in exasperation. "Have you always been this annoying? The stories said nothing about this!"

"It's hereditary. My father's Poseidon and my mother's Medusa, and you know how irritating immortals are. Always fighting and upsetting the other immortals, and killing or cursing the mortals. And they trick heroes, too. They are such a pain in the butt—that's why I ran away, the second I was born from Medusa's blood when some hero chopped her head off. Then some immortal moron trapped me in here and told me that I'll never get out until someone with flaming red hair and golden eyes comes in here."

"I understand you have parental—and mental—issues, Pegasus, but I need to find my friends," Gingka said. "Do you want to meet them, or something? They're really nice—well, most of them."

Pegasus flicked his right ear and he lowered his head, allowing Gingka to stroke his ears and mane. "Ah... that feels good... hey—can you get that spot over there, right at the base of my mane? It itches—that feels better."

"Did you even hear what I said?"

"I'll go meet your friends," he said. "But they'd better not try to pluck me."

"Why would they pluck you?" Gingka scoffed.

He tossed his head. "My feathers are magical," he told him. "Obviously. They can be used for healing and other stuff."

"There wasn't anything about that in the legend."

"Of course not, ignoramus. Those secrets are supposed to be kept classified and hidden from human ears—oh, gods almighty! I told you!" Pegasus flattened his ears and showed the whites of his eyes threateningly, staring at Gingka with a strange, wide-eyed expression. "Now I must kill you," he deadpanned.

"Whoa, there, Pegasus!" Gingka yelped. "No need to get violent—you look creepy! And aren't I like, your 'partner,' or something?"

"You have a point there." Pegasus relaxed.

Gingka made a move to mount the winged horse, but got snapped at. "Saving you from falling into magma was one thing—letting you on my back when you could obviously walk is another," he huffed, pressing his nose into a wing, probably preening his feathers like a bird would.

Pegasus trotted into the forest.

"Uh..." Gingka began. "Can't you like, fly, or something?"

"I don't fly."

"But... you just..."

Pegasus snorted. "I didn't have much room for flying in that cave." He looked to the sky with a somewhat nervous glance. "It's so bright and open out here. And I've never flown that high before in a... long time—not since I was still young."

"You could try," Gingka said.

In the blink of an eye, the winged horse was gone. Gingka sighed. "How very Pegasus-like."

Then: "I can't do it."

"What?" Gingka's mouth dropped open.

"It's weird being up there," Pegasus argued. "I feel like I'm gonna fall. My wing's already cramping!"

"But you're _Pegasus_!"

The winged horse snorted. "I prefer being on the ground, thank you very much."

"So... you're scared," Gingka said bluntly.

"No, I'm not!"

"Then prove it! Fly!"

"No!"

_Of all the mythical creatures, I just _had_ to get stuck with this guy! But I guess I'm his partner, so... I'll just let him tag along, or something. I can't believe he's so rude. Rude and acrophobic, and annoyingly talkative, and next to useless. Better him than a monster, though._

"Chicken!" Gingka taunted.

"... I'm—"

"You're Pegasus," the redhead finished for him sarcastically.

"Shut up."

* * *

Me: Pegasus is just too adorable!

Gingka: He's mean to me!

Ryuga: *laughing* Your almighty Pegasus is afraid of heights!

Me: Writing is my passion! When I write, I let all of my emotions flow into my fingers and they are turned into words that appear on the computer screen or on paper! There is nearly nothing in the world that could make me as happy as I am when I write!

Kyoya: How random...

Gingka: *sniff* That's how I feel about Beyblade!

Ryuga: You are such a sap, Fang.

Benkei: *sobbing* That was beautiful!

Yu: Meet my new butler! His name is Bob.

Butler: Actually, sir, my name is Bill.

Yu: Change it to Bob!

Bob: Yes, sir.


	23. His Feelings

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. And she still won't give me my Bey back! *smirks at me* I'll give you a picture of Ryuga, naked in the shower. *takes out phone and waves it in front of my face*

Ryuga: What?

Me: *gives Leone back* Gimme!

Kyoya: *taps on his phone* I e-mailed it to you.

Me: *checks phone and drools*

Gingka: How in the name of Beyblade did you get a picture of Ryuga naked?

Ryuga: I'd like to know that as well!

Kyoya: I have my ways.

Yu: *waves hand in front of my face* I think Fang got paralyzed by looking at that picture of Ryuga in the shower! She's not blinking! *pauses* And... she's not breathing, either. But she's frozen solid. *taps my head* Hullo?

* * *

"Ryuga!"

That was the first thing Kyoya heard when they got back to camp. Hikaru had already grabbed the front of Kyoya's tunic and was shaking the poor—not to mention injured—green-haired teen back and forth, asking, "What the hell happened to him?"

"I had nothing to do with it," Kyoya said calmly, blushing at their close proximity. He pried Hikaru's iron grip from his tunic. "Relax, okay? He'll be fine."

Hikaru took deep breaths until the anger had faded from her eyes, replaced with worry. She whirled around and helped Benkei place Ryuga, who was nearly unconscious, on a blanket that Dan had spread out. Ryuga groaned weakly.

"Someone bring him water!" Madoka ordered. "And where's the medicine box?" Reiki darted forward with a waterskin and carefully trickled some of the clear liquid between the older teen's parted lips. Benkei placed the wooden chest on the ground next to Madoka. She flicked the lid open and rummaged through the contents.

Kyoya stood by, leaning on a tree, feeling utterly useless as he watched the others work. He put a fist on his temple, clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and sent a quick prayer to the gods.

_Hey, guys, I know it's been a while since I last talked to you—I think it's been half a year now—but please lend your strength to my friend here. I'd really like him to stay alive. Oh, and my other friend Gingka Hagane. He's an idiot, but we all love him. Yeah, I hope he's safe somewhere. I swear, I'll be good! Just help my friends, will you? That would mean a lot to me._

"He's lost a lot of blood."

Kyoya opened his eyes. Hikaru was standing in front of him, looking shaken. She held some healing herbs and bandages in her hands. "Here—let me take care of your injuries," she said. Her voice trembled, and she looked over her shoulder at Ryuga, who had curled into a ball and was covering his bare chest with his arms.

"Just keep still and let me help you!" Madoka snapped.

"Don't need..."

She snorted and used a dagger to cut off what remained of his tunic. "Will someone get over here and hold him down?"

Benkei stepped forward and grabbed Ryuga's wrists and drew back with a loud, high-pitched yelp. "Ow! He _bit_ me! Holy Taurus, your teeth are sharp! Are you half Shadow Hunter or something? Ow! Someone help me here!"

"Ryuga, let go of Benkei's hand!" Madoka screeched.

"Oh, gods, I'm bleeding!"

Hikaru cringed, then turned away from the sight, a look of pain in her amethyst eyes. "Take off your tunic," she told Kyoya. The scarred teen obeyed, feeling a tiny bit worried at how upset she seemed. He hissed as Hikaru applied some herb poultice to the peeled skin on his chest and stomach, her gaze often flickering back to Ryuga.

Kyoya couldn't help feeling jealous of how much attention the archer was getting. _Especially from Hikaru... _He felt heat flood his face and ears. _Shut up! You know she likes Ryuga!_

The white-and-red-haired teen let out another scream.

Hikaru flinched and ended up poking Kyoya in the eye.

"Damn it, woman! Just go see your husband already!" the poor—not to mention injured—teen growled, cupping a hand over his eye. He felt like it was going to pop out of its socket. He tested it out to see if it still worked. It did.

"S-Sorry!" the blue-haired girl said apologetically.

"'Sorry' doesn't fix my eye!"

Kyoya was saved from another injury by Reiki, who walked over to them. He was tailed by his brother, who had a piece of cloth tied around his right arm. "That was terrifying. I thought we were gonna die!" Dan exclaimed.

"Thanks for trying to pull me up, by the way," Kyoya said.

The blond winced guiltily. "Yeah. Sorry I couldn't hold on."

"That's okay."

"Oh, so you forgive him for almost dropping you off a cliff and you snap at me for poking you in the eye?" Hikaru snorted. "Fine—I see how it is." She crossed her arms and huffed, blowing a strand of pale blue hair out of her face. "Sexist pig."

_She looks... kind of cute... when she does that... Damn... hormones..._

Dan and Reiki exchanged amused glances.

Before Kyoya could come up with a witty comeback, Bao limped towards them, using a makeshift crutch, and nearly dragging his heavily bandaged leg on the ground. "What happened?" he demanded. "Yu and Kenta said that you guys were attacked by Shadow Hunters! I let you morons go off into the woods, and you come back barely alive!"

Hikaru clenched her fist at the "barely alive" part.

"It's true," Dan replied, pressing a piece of wet cloth to a deep-looking wound on his collarbone, making Kyoya wonder how he could stand the pain without even shedding a tear. "They ambushed us by the abyss and we managed to fight them off."

"Ryuga had a scuffle with their leader in the forest," Reiki reminded them, stealing a look at Ryuga's sleeping form. "She looked bent on killing him. I think she tortured him for a while." He brooded for a while, polishing the blood-stained blade of his sword. "She's not right in the head."

"Did you see what she did to his face?" Kenta asked them in a quiet voice.

"She's a psycho!" Yu exclaimed.

Hikaru was trembling.

"All of them were," Kyoya said, putting an arm around Hikaru's shoulder to comfort her. He felt everyone's eyes on him. "They were desperate. They mentioned the past few months..." He noticed Dan shudder at this. "They must've just gotten out of the mountains not too long ago. They were freed from that 'curse.'"

"But how?" Kenta muttered.

Silence met his question.

As if suddenly conscious of how close they were, Hikaru pulled away from Kyoya and hurried to the fire pit, filling several wooden cups with water.

Bao sighed. "We'll have to move faster. Calor's not too far away now. We'll get there by tomorrow night."

Unsurprised at the sudden change of subject, Kyoya snorted. "We'd better," he said. He drew his blade and examined his exhausted-looking reflection in the surface of the shiny steel. Then, he sheathed it with a tired sigh. The burden of leadership—shared leadership, although Bao refused to admit it—was taking its toll on him. He felt responsible for everyone in the group—even Aguma, who, at the moment, was roasting some meat on the spit.

"Gingka promised us he'd meet us there," Dan mumbled.

Reiki touched his brother's uninjured arm. "It's not your fault, Dan."

"Yes, it was," the red-clad twin said bitterly. "If only I'd been quicker... if only I'd been more attentive... I..." He squeezed his watering blue eyes shut. "I could've saved him! And now..." His voice was getting louder. "And now he's probably dead!"

"Don't say that!" Madoka cried, balling her hands. "Gingka's not dead!"

It was deafeningly silent in the tiny clearing, interrupted only by the sounds of the wild, the popping and crackling of the fire, and Ryuga quietly whimpering from a daunting nightmare. Crimson Flash and the two oxen shifted.

Aguma slowly turned the spit.

"I miss Gingki," Yu said quietly.

The pale winter sun was setting over their heads, painting the sky blue and green. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya spotted Akane's pale shape shimmer into view, kneeling by Ryuga's head and running a ghostly hand through his hair—_literally_ through.

Bao tapped his crutch awkwardly. "Alright, guys. Let's go eat."

As the others silently made their way to the fire, Kyoya disappeared into the forest. He could see Akane standing up to follow him. Before he got very far, someone tapped his shoulder. "Where are you going? Didn't Bao said to go eat? You've been through a lot today."

Hikaru.

Heart racing, Kyoya angled his head to look at the girl over his shoulder. "Where I go is none of your business," he said quietly, his eyes shifting to the ground. "And by the way, Bao's not the boss of me."

Akane was waiting. "Come on, Kyoya!" she said.

"You've been acting differently since Goren," Hikaru told him irritably, her words holding a bit of concern. "Way differently. Going off at night, then coming back hours later when you think everyone else is asleep... Do you think nobody notices?"

Kyoya turned fully and opened his mouth to reply.

"No," Hikaru said. "Just... _no_. I don't know what's going on, Kyoya Tategami, but you'd better stop doing this. Do you know how worried we get? What do you do, anyway?"

The green-haired teen stared at his boots. "You won't understand." He started to walk away.

"Why not?" He could hear the anger in her voice growing stronger.

"Because you just won't."

_No, you really won't. Who'd believe that I go out at night to talk to a little girl who's been dead for more than ten years? _Kyoya said nothing else and continued, following Akane's sickly white glow through the trees. He heard Hikaru huff and turn around, muttering something under her breath.

"She's a strange soul," Akane murmured absentmindedly.

Kyoya nodded.

"You like her." The ghost girl placed her hands behind her back, hovering a few inches off the ground. Not for the first time, Kyoya noticed their vast height difference, despite the fact that she was floating—she was older than him, but her appearance was stuck in six-year-old form.

"No, I don't. Besides," he said, leaning against a tree trunk, a small sigh escaping his lips, "she likes someone else."

"The boy marked with blood."

Kyoya frowned. "He has a name. Why do you keep referring to him as that?"

"Because..." Akane was silent for several heartbeats.

"Hey." Kyoya prodded her shoulder, then remembered that she was a ghost just as his finger passed through her skin. He pulled back apologetically as she turned to glare at him with those pale eyes. "What?" she asked.

"You were about to say something. About Ryuga. And why you keep referring to him as 'the boy marked with blood.'"

She paused, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Because that's just how he is. I don't know why she likes him."

Kyoya's voice cracked at the mention of Hikaru. "Let's talk about something else."

* * *

Me: Ooh! Love problems! Kyoya likes Hikaru, Hikaru likes Ryuga, and Ryuga likes no one, as of now! *cries* This is depressing, yet extremely exciting and nerve wracking! I've never written about a love triangle before!

Reiki: Could you give me a copy of that pic?

Kyoya: Why?

Dan: Do you know how many fangirls Ryuga has? Think of how much it would sell on eBay!

Ryuga: They'll just copy the picture and post it on other websites, geniuses.

Reiki: Pixelization, bro!

Dan: Then we'll send the real photo! With a lock of his hair!

Ryuga: *clutches his head* No one's touching my hair! And if the picture has the same effect on the fangirls like it did on Fang, you'd be sued. And you can't post a nude photo of someone on eBay! It's probably illegal!

Dan: Point taken.

Reiki: But we'd have a lot of money! Anyway, we can always sell it on some other, more mature websites...

Yu: What websites?

Me: *interrupts* I really like writing these post-chapter notes. Speaking of tiny little stories, I have another oneshot coming up. *winces* It's horrible. Trust me on this one. I wanted to cut my hand off as I was writing it.

Kyoya: I've read it. I almost threw myself out of the window.


	24. Strange Stranger

Ryuga: Just so you know, I'm only doing this because Fang told me she'd stop Kyoya from giving Dan and Reiki that naked picture of me... Apparently, those Sodo twins bribed Kyoya and said that he'd get a portion of the money! The nerve of those people! I should at least get half of the profit!

Gingka: Can you just get on with it?

Ryuga: *sigh* DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Me: And guess what, guys? There's a new character appearing! And he's as weird and mysterious as ever! But can you guys read **Adýnama Tha Kerdísei:Weak Shall Win** (if you haven't already)? It is so awesome! I just love it! It's so amazing and so much better than my pathetic writing that kind of reminds me of my stories I'd written when I was six years old!

* * *

Ryuga opened his eyes. Gray shadows dappled the roof of the tent, but several bright rays of golden sunlight had managed to seep through. He slowly extended his arm over the edge of the blanket and felt the coolness of grass and damp leaves under his fingertips. He sighed and started to get up.

A deep, white-hot pain shot through his limbs and lingered on his chest. A hiss of pain escaped his lips.

In a flash, everything that had happened came back to him.

He shuddered and pulled back the entrance flap. A ways away, the camp was in its usual busy, yet peaceful, state. The twins were helping Aguma load the wagon, Madoka was cooking, Bao and Benkei were eating, and Kenta and Yu were sparring. Kyoya's dark green hair was visible through a tent opening. He'd probably gone off on another one of his night walks.

It was then that Ryuga noticed that this wasn't the clearing they'd last camped in. They were in the shade of trees, and some of the sleeping areas were cleverly hidden in the undergrowth, covered with leafy branches and fronds of bracken and tendrils of bramble.

Ryuga turned his head and felt a jarring pain in his neck. He lifted the cup of water next to him and stared at his dark reflection, barely making out several bruises on his neck and collarbone, disappearing under the bandages that were wrapped around his chest.

"You're awake."

Startled by the voice, Ryuga jerked up—he inwardly winced at the pain. He felt a familiar warm hand on his shoulder. "You've been out for the last couple of days," Hikaru told him in a quiet, concerned voice. "Are you feeling better?"

"What does it look like?" he muttered. His voice was hoarse and scratchy. He took a sip of the ice-cold water.

Her hand drew away. "Sorry. We're almost out of the mountains. We'll be at Calor by the time the sun starts to set."

_The sooner the better._

Hikaru edged around until she was sitting beside him. She pressed a warm bowl of what looked like a tiny amount of soup into his hands. "Madoka made it. Eat up—we have to get going soon, and you'll need your strength. But don't gorge yourself or you'll get sick."

A rustle of cloth signaled her exit.

Ryuga lifted the bowl to his lips and drank slowly. The soup was nice and piping hot, the flavor lingering on his tongue. He finished the bits of vegetables bobbing around in the remaining broth. Madoka sure did know how to cook—not that he'd tell her that.

The bowl was empty in a few seconds, and he sighed, wishing that there was more. He slowly pulled on the shirt that had been provided for him, and his boots, trying to ignore the dull pain in his head and the scalding agony in his chest. He reached for his bow and quivers, but there was nothing to grab. He withdrew his trembling hand, remembering that his weapons had been destroyed.

He crawled out of the tent.

Aguma materialized next to him and carried him to the wagon, seating him next to Bao.

Bao was a silent person, and so was Ryuga—which was just how they liked it—so no words were exchanged, only nods of acknowledgment. They watched as their companions moved around the camp, rushing about in a hurried frenzy.

Dan loaded a tent into the wagon.

"Kyoya, wake up!" Madoka was yelling. "It's time to go!"

Ryuga watched in amusement as the green-haired teen stumbled out of the tent he'd been sleeping in, tying his sword to his belt. The weapon fell to the ground, and Kyoya scrambled to pick it up, his hands still clumsy with sleep.

"Yo, butterfingers," the archer said as the swordsman walked over with his own soup.

"Nice to see you're back to your usual self," Kyoya scoffed, downing his breakfast hurriedly.

He hummed softly and fingered a loose string on one of the sacks. It came off in his hand, and he wove the thin thread around his index finger. Suddenly, Demitria's flashing ice-blue eyes were above him, her pale hand raised to strike.

"_You knew my mother."_

"_I killed her."_

"Are you okay, Ryuga?" Kyoya asked.

He nodded, his attention wandering to the forest, scanning the dense undergrowth and the green canopy. He was afraid that someone was going to jump out of the shadows. He imagined those thorn-sharp claws raking over his face, into his eyes, slashing at his bruised throat. He fell to the ground, bleeding and bleeding and bleeding and he couldn't see anything and it hurt and hurt and as the life poured out of him in rivers he opened his mouth in a soundless scream...

And warm arms wrapped themselves around his fallen figure.

"Ryuga," Hikaru murmured. "Calm down..."

He took his hands off his head and opened his eyes. He wasn't bleeding. He wasn't dying.

Everyone was staring at him, some with eyes glazed with confusion and concern, and some—Bao's—with barely concealed irritation and impatience. Kyoya shifted, blue eyes darting around cautiously, and sheathed his sword, a nearly inaudible sigh of relief escaping him as if some danger had passed.

_Only the danger never existed_, Ryuga thought bitterly. _I must've looked like a fool._

He sat up quickly and dusted himself off.

Soon, all of their belongings were packed, and they were moving at a quick and steady pace. Ryuga felt the wagon bouncing as the metal and wooden wheels rolled over the uneven ground. Crimson Flash trotted alongside the wagon, occasionally nuzzling Bao's shoulder to be petted.

There was little conversation. Someone would glance at Ryuga from time to time as if to make sure that he wouldn't have another episode.

Suddenly, Yu hopped into the wagon and seated himself next to Ryuga. Kenta followed eagerly.

"How are you feeling, Ryuga?" Yu chirped.

The archer shrugged.

"Well, I'm so glad that you're alright, because for a second there, we thought you were gonna die because you lost a lot of blood and you didn't wake up for the last two days! And did I mention that I may have eaten the rest of the honey in your game bag?"

"You _what_?" Ryuga growled quietly.

Kenta inched forward, taking something out of his bag. "We tried to fix your bow." He held out a long piece of wood, sloppily cemented together with tree sap to the point when it looked like a potential weapon—not as an elegant bow, but as a giant deadly splinter. "I think we may have failed." He smiled sheepishly.

Ryuga felt a smirk grace his features. He plucked the poor, mangled thing that used to be his lovely bow from Kenta's hands and placed it into his game bag. He knew that a little boy named Yu Tendo would bug him about it if he didn't.

The two boys grinned.

"Hey!"

Ryuga looked up.

A boy was walking towards them, waving an arm in the air. He looked to be about Kyoya's age, with curly pale blue hair, blue-violet eyes, and pale skin. He was carrying a long staff and a large bag, and beside him trotted some kind of goat with curved horns.

"Who are you?" Kyoya put a hand on the hilt of his sword.

The boy tapped the butt of his staff on the ground. "My name's Hyoma. You guys lost?"

"No," Bao snapped.

Ryuga eyed Hyoma—if that was even his name—suspiciously.

"You're going to Calor, right?"

"Well, yes." Bao rolled his eyes and slowly adjusted the position of his cast. "Why do you think we're here? We're certainly not here for the scenery or the Shadow Hunters." The maroon-haired teen's hand inched towards his sword.

Ryuga suppressed a wince at Bao's comment—the rest of the group fell silent as well, as if relieving what would happen. It felt like a fresh wound had been opened. Ryuga found himself trembling and had to pinch his hand, making sure that he wouldn't be able to have another mental breakdown like he did earlier.

"I live in Calor," Hyoma said. "So I guess I'll just accompany you there."

"Suit yourself," Bao muttered.

"Just try not to steal anything!" Benkei said humorously. He'd obviously meant that statement as a joke, but Hyoma just gave him a wary look, and then shuffled away closer to the wagon. Kyoya smirked and elbowed the purple-haired teen.

Ryuga leaned back on a crate.

"What happened to your face? And your neck?" Hyoma's voice cut through the tension that had settled in the group like tea leaves. Ryuga scowled and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, hiding his face. "That's none of your business," he growled.

_My face? What's wrong with my—oh. _He remembered Demitria carving a design into his skin as if she were sculpting a statue, instead of a human being. He touched his cheek, feeling the rough scabs that covered the wounds. The tension was thicker than ever.

Yu—the big-mouthed, lovable kid he was—blinked at Hyoma to break the ice. "I'm Yu!"

"Uh... I'm pretty sure that I'm me." Hyoma looked genuinely confused. His goat bleated.

"No, silly! I meant that my name is Yu! Yu Tendo!"

"Aren't you that thief from Goren? We've got a lot of those rumors floating around town, like how you stole from the Lord of Goren's treasury!" Hyoma froze. "Wow... you don't look as intimidating as how the others describe you."

"Don't tell anyone!" Yu exclaimed. "I'm supposed to be keeping a low profile!"

"Um... Yu," Kenta said. "Giving him your name right off the bat isn't keeping a low profile. Especially before you tell him not to tell anyone."

"Oh."

"I like exploring these mountains," Hyoma said. "I go a little further every day."

Before he could stop himself, Ryuga turned to the violet-eyed teen and asked, "Don't you get scared?" He injected a drop of poison into his words. "There are Shadow Hunters. It's dangerous to wander around this place, alone."

"Is that what happened to you guys? You were... attacked by Shadow Hunters?"

"Yeah," Benkei said.

"So, Hyoma..." That was Kyoya. "You see, we have this friend. His name's Gingka. He has really tall red hair, a stupid blue scrap of cloth around his forehead, and a brain the size of a cricket's. He got lost when we were on a scouting patrol a few days ago. Did you happen to see him around? You're an explorer, right?"

"I'm not an official explorer. And I've never seen a guy that fits your description."

"You haven't?" Kyoya looked disappointed.

Hyoma shrugged and twirled his staff, then slightly bent down to pet his goat on the head. "Nope. But I've seen a guy with tall red hair, a not-too-stupid-looking blue scrap of cloth tied around his forehead, and an average-sized brain."

_This guy's weird._

"Really?" Benkei yelled.

"About my age..."

"Yes!" Kenta exclaimed.

"... has a white horse."

_White horse? Really? _Ryuga looked around in confusion—his companions seemed to be feeling the same way.

"A white horse?" Yu voiced their thoughts. The blond's eyes widened with curiosity. "I never knew Gingki had a white horse! What's its name? How fast can it run? Does it have an owner, or something? How old is it? Is it a boy or a girl? I hope it's a boy, because—"

"Wait," Kyoya said. "Where's Gingka now?"

"He's somewhere in Calor. He's looking for you guys."

* * *

Hyoma: Hi! I'm so glad to finally have made an appearance in this story. Big fan.

Gingka: ... Is that all?

Hyoma: What else is there to say?

Kyoya: I won't give the twins the picture.

Dan: _Why, Kyoya?_ What did she give you?

Kyoya: She gave me a copy of The Avengers. And a laptop.

Reiki: If you work with us, we could give you so much more than that! We'd be filthy rich!

Kyoya: Can you give me these awesome powers of flight?

The Twins: ... No.

Kyoya: *flies away* YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT!


	25. The Annoying Pegasus

Ryuga: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. Anyways, what took you so long to update?

Me: I'm so sorry! It's just that... will all my schoolwork, and helping my grandmother with her store-slash-restaurant, and tutoring, and studying American history so that I won't look like an idiot when I arrive at the U.S... I just couldn't find the time! *sobs* It's been torture!

Kyoya: But you still managed to find time to watch Shugo Chara.

Me: ... That's because my brother could only open the iPad, not the computer.

Ryuga: You could've typed the chapter there...

Me: I DON'T LIKE HOW IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN I E-MAIL IT TO MYSELF! IT MESSES UP THE OH-SO-PERFECT SPACING THAT I LOVE ON MY STORY DRAFTS AND IT JUST LOOKS SO WRONG AND STUPID AND I HATE IT!

Kyoya: Thanks for abusing the Shift key.

* * *

"Gingka! Don't leave me here!"

The redhead furrowed his eyebrows at Pegasus. "Be quiet. You'll be fine." He was lucky to have found an inn-slash-restaurant that would shelter him and Pegasus—no one else would. Of course, there was a price—Gingka had to wash dishes and mop floors.

"Could you at least take this off my wings? They're starting to feel very cramped." Pegasus gave his body a shake and whinnied. The large blanket that Hyoma—what a mysterious guy—had given them was wrapped around Pegasus' body and covered his wings all the way up to the tips of the feathers. It made the white horse look incredibly bulky and misshapen.

Gingka shook his head. "You know I can't do that, Pegasus. If someone sees your wings... well, it won't be pretty." He shoved Pegasus into the darkest stall he could find—and one that was the farthest away from the door—and closed him in. "I'll check on you soon."

Pegasus snorted and crouched on the bare ground. "Why couldn't I have stayed in the forest?" He sighed dramatically.

Gingka rolled his eyes. "So let's go over the rules."

"_Rules_?" Pegasus flopped onto his side, an annoyed nicker coming from his mouth. "Ugh. We're already safe, and there are still rules. In the forest, it was all no wandering away from each other, and don't be too loud, and... and no trying to chew Gingka's hair! What is up with you idiotic humans and rules?"

Gingka ignored this. "There's only one rule here, and that's to not draw attention to yourself. When the stable boy comes, don't approach him. I'm not paying for anything, so I don't think they're gonna be pampering you and stuff—they'll just give you food, water, and bedding, or something."

"Bummer."

"Alright. I'll be back. Just try to get along with the other horses, will you?"

"No! The other horses are losers!"

Gingka was already closing the stable door. The smell of horse disappeared, and he felt the sting of the cold winter air on his neck as soon as he was outside. He still couldn't get used to the chilly temperatures of winter after the warmth of the valley.

"You done, crab?"

He turned around. "Yeah, just about—yikes!"

The guy in front of him had stringy seaweed-brown hair, and dark brown eyes, and was clad in a brown tunic, black pants, a red cape, and no footwear at all. He grinned at Gingka, his index and middle fingers held up. "Hey, crabby!"

"Crabby? What the—what?"

"You're the new busboy who is also a guest!"

"Yeah... who are you?"

"Tetsuya Watarigani, your crabness!" The guy bowed mockingly, then turned with a swish of his cape. "Follow me, young crab." His tone had changed from polite to what probably was supposed to be wise. "I'll show you what it takes to be a good busboy at Calor's one and only Mountainside Inn!"

"Okay?"

Tetsuya led him over the stretch of land between the stables and the inn, and ushered him into a slightly-dim room by means of a side door. The inn kitchen was a small, but busy place—people were yelling and darting about like flies, and the air was hot and humid. The only light came from a few wall sconces. A young chef ran by, waving his arms in the air and screaming, "The herring's on fire! The herring's on fire!"

Someone poured a bucket of water over what Gingka presumed to be the burning herring. The fire sizzled out. "Cleanup on Aisle Two!"

"I'll take it!" Tetsuya grabbed a mop and a bucket of clean water from a corner filled with cleaning supplies and rushed over to wipe up the mess, leaving Gingka standing awkwardly at the doorway, feeling small under the stares being given to him.

Gingka's mouth watered at the delicious scent of good, cooked food, which he'd been unable to make since he'd been separated from his friends.

"Hey, new kid!" a large man barked. He was well-muscled, and like Gingka, had a scrap of cloth—albeit red—around his forehead, holding back his dark locks. "Get to washing the dishes! There are gonna be lots of people eating here tonight, and they'll be demanding food!"

"Don't mind Argo," another boy said, grinning. His honey-blond hair was held back by a headband as well, and he had large, friendly violet eyes. "He can be grumpy at times, but once you get to know him... he's still pretty grumpy. But he's got three younger siblings, and they struggle, so it makes sense that he's always so stressed out. That boy who was screaming about the burning herring—he's one of Argo's brothers. His name's Enzo."

"Toby!" Argo snapped. "I don't appreciate you telling everyone about my personal life!"

Toby's purple irises glinted mischievously, but ignored Argo. "Anyways, want some help with those dishes?" he asked Gingka.

Gingka nodded. The boy led him to a large wooden tub—piled high with dirty dishes—in a secluded part of the kitchen, just beside the brick oven, and picked up a washcloth. "In case you haven't figured it out, my name's Toby. What's yours?"

"Gingka."

"Nice to meet you, Gingka."

"You too." The two boys each grabbed a plate and began scrubbing.

Gingka and Toby washed dishes for what seemed like forever. Every time they finished one plate, another seemed to take its place, and the pile of dirty dishes grew ever higher. Gingka felt his skin wrinkling and his fingers were freezing and numb from the frigid water. Before he knew it, orange light from the setting sun was filtering into the side door, and Toby's shift was over, so the violet-eyed boy headed home.

"Hey, Gingka!" Hyoma poked his head into the kitchen.

"Hyoma! You're back!" Gingka was relieved.

Suddenly, a pair of familiar green eyes popped into view. "Hey, Gingki! We've missed you!"

"We had to look in every inn in this town just to find you!" Madoka ran into the kitchen, hiking up her long dress to pick up her pace. Gingka rinsed his hands and grinned, only to be slapped in the face. "I can't believe you made us all worry like that!" the brunette screeched.

"Ow..." The redhead rubbed his stinging cheek.

Madoka and Yu hugged him.

"Take this love fest out of this kitchen, crabs!" Tetsuya said. "Affection will not be tolerated in here, crabby-crab-crabs!"

And so, that was how Gingka was fired, although he'd only been working for seven hours.

It was rather a ridiculous reason to get fired. Not that Gingka was complaining—besides meeting Toby, he had a horrible time.

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"I met Hyoma in the mountains," Gingka explained to them. "I was lost, and I just happened to run into him. He took me back here." They were sitting in their room in the Mountainside Inn. Apparently, Hyoma didn't have a home, so he worked in the inn.

"How'd you get out of that cave?" Dan asked.

"The tunnel I went into led to this magma chamber!" Gingka babbled on, waving his arms around excitedly. "And there was an exit on the other side that led to the woods! So I used these pillars sticking out of the ground as stepping-stones! When I got to the third pillar, I slipped!"

"Predictable," Bao said, smirking.

"You didn't let me finish! Just when I was about to fall..." He faltered, unsure whether to tell them about Pegasus.

"Well?" Reiki fidgeted impatiently. "What happened?"

"Uh..."

"And how'd you find that white horse Hyoma told us about?" Yu asked.

Gingka stared at the dark tea leaves at the bottom of his cup of tea, then swirled his drink around. "Well... actually..." He leaned forward and beckoned everyone closer. "The horse saved my life when I was falling into the magma. And he's not really a horse. He's _the_ Pegasus, and he's in the stable right now."

Bao was the first one to burst out laughing. "_Pegasus_?"

"That's a bit far-fetched, Gingka," Hikaru said. "Pegasus is a mythical beast, and it hasn't been sighted in millenia."

"It's true, isn't it?"

Madoka seemed to believe him—or at least, that's what it looked like to Gingka. There wasn't an ounce of humor in those turquoise eyes, but curiosity, like she was staring at a complicated puzzle to examine the pieces and see which ones would fit together.

"Yes! Finally, someone who _believes_!" Gingka exclaimed.

"I'd like some actual proof," Kyoya said.

Gingka grinned. "Follow me!"

He dashed towards the door to the room and opened it, impatiently waiting for the others to catch up. Yu was the first one to fall in line behind Gingka, followed by the twins, then Madoka. Hikaru was the last one out, and said, "Aguma and Kenta are staying to make sure that Bao, Ryuga and our things are gonna be safe, since there are no locks in this place, and Ryuga just wants to take a nap."

"Let's just get this over with," Kyoya grumbled.

The group tromped down the stairs and through the inn's lobby, which also served as a dining hall. As they passed by the tables, people turned to examine them. Some looked bored and immediately went back to what they were doing without giving them a second glance, and the others just stared—whether they were curious, or wondering how much money they had on them. Gingka was glad that Bao had decided to leave his money pouch behind.

Gingka led them to the stables and opened the door.

The first thing that he heard was Pegasus. "Gingka! Thank the gods you're back! You wouldn't believe these horses! They're complete _morons_! All '_my master_' here and '_oats_' there, and '_sugar cubes and apples_' everywhere!" He paused for a breath as Gingka came to his stall. "Get me out of this nuthouse—oh, look! More stupid humans!"

"A talking horse..." Kyoya, for once, looked pretty dumbfounded.

"This is a dream," Hikaru muttered. "This is a crazy, messed up dream."

"Awesome!" Dan and Reiki chorused breathlessly.

Madoka tugged on Gingka's vest. "Where are his wings? You said he was Pegasus!"

"His wings need to stay hidden!" Gingka pointed out. "As annoying as he is most of the time, I don't want him to get hunted down, trapped, and possibly caged and maybe plucked! They'd chain him up and do experiments on him and... it's just too horrible to bear!"

"Oh, Gingka! You _do_ care! Get over here and give me a hug!"

Gingka rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Pegasus' neck. "Sure."

"Do you have any food?"

"No."

"... Could you at least introduce me to your fellow dolts?"

Before Gingka could say a word, Reiki spoke up.

"I'm Reiki, and this is my twin brother Dan!"

"I'm Dan, and this is my twin brother Reiki! Who _should_ know that I am perfectly capable of introducing myself!" Dan said through gritted teeth. He whirled around to face his brother, eyes flashing blue fire. Reiki turned and started whistling.

"Somehow, the way you guys act reminds me of... something... I just can't put my hoof on it."

"The way you annoy me like Reiki annoys Dan?" Gingka muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, that's it! Thanks, Gingka!"

Kyoya elbowed the redhead. "Does he even get it?"

"Oh, trust me. He gets it."

"Nice to meet you, Pegasus! I'm Madoka." The brunette bowed.

"Oh, so _you're_ Madoka!" Pegasus' pale blue eyes widened. "Gingka's told me so much about you!" Ignoring Gingka's sputtering and blushing, he went on. "He likes you a lot! And it's no wonder he does—you're so nice and respectful and you have those good qualities not a lot of humans have. I know you'll be a really good mate—"

"A-Alright, Pegasus!" Gingka stammered, pushing the winged horse's head away in what he hoped looked like a playful manner. "That's enough!" He turned to face Madoka, who was trying to hide her blush behind her hands. "He's bluffing!" he told her, making an attempt to laugh casually, but it ended up sounding like a goat's bleat.

"What the—I never bluff! The nerve of—"

"You be quiet!"

"Let's finish the introductions, why don't we?" Hikaru interrupted. "I'm Hikaru."

"Ah, Hikaru!" Pegasus tilted his head, looking at her in admiration. "Gingka's told me a lot about you, too! From what he's told me about you, you help around camp a lot, doing chores. But I can tell... you don't want to be just some housewife, don't you?"

This got her attention, but Pegasus was already moving on to someone else.

"And you must be Kyoya!"

"Don't even—"

Gingka sighed as Pegasus opened his mouth. "Too late."

"You're the one who pulled the group together and did everything you can to protect everyone and get them here safely. Of course, you needed help. No matter how indifferent and grouchy you look, you really care about every single one of your friends!"

"Oh, gods, he'll be blabbering like this all the way to Sirius..." Kyoya rubbed his temple. "Oh, gods..."

"My name's Yu!"

Pegasus looked down at the blond. "You're miniscule," he said bluntly.

"What of it?"

"You're... you're a midget! Oh, gods, this is just too funny!" The winged horse shook his head in amusement and turned in a circle, seeming oblivious to Yu's scathing glare. "He's so tiny! Like a dwarf! Oh, gods! Oh, gods! And I thought that Gingka was short!"

"You thought I was short?" Gingka asked, offended.

"Well, if you smooth down your hair..." Kyoya said.

"No one asked you."

Kyoya smirked and patted the redhead 's shoulder. "The talking horse has rubbed off on you."

"I'm a _Pegasus_! _The_ Pegasus! The son of Poseidon and Medusa! I was born from..."

As Pegasus rambled on, Gingka sighed.

"Here we go again..."

* * *

Hyoma: Where was I?

Me: Just be glad you actually made an appearance! And you were out in the mountains again!

Hyoma: Sounds like me...

Kyoya: And before she could say that this was a suckish chapter, I'll just say that it was actually a little fun to read... What are you staring at me for? I need to boost up her self-esteem so that she could update faster and get this stupid story over with! She's like, just about halfway through, and I'm not even sure if she could fit the rest of her chapters in!

Ryuga: Especially since she really liked writing about the army. She already wrote the ending!

Me: I'm so excited to post it! Then I can get on to the next story!


	26. A Little Bonding Time

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. This is a pretty stupid chapter, since she's been suffering writer's block lately... And her mother's rushing her way too much and promising to ground her if she didn't stop...

* * *

"Where's Benkei?" Gingka asked.

Kyoya looked up from his sword, suddenly remembering his noisy, purple-haired best friend. "Oh," he grumbled, leaning back to lean against the only bed's old wooden headboard, "before we found you, Benkei said that he was gonna go and check out some of the food they're selling... that guy's gonna empty our pockets if he keeps this up..."

Hikaru laughed—a beautiful sound—as she pushed the small window open to let fresh air into the stuffy room. "Just let Benkei be Benkei."

"Tch. Easier said than done. Sometimes he's just too... enthusiastic." Kyoya rolled his eyes and went back to polishing his sword, rubbing a piece of cloth over the shining edge. From beside him, Ryuga stirred and pulled his hood further over his face and neck, muttering, "Shut up, lovebirds. I'm trying to sleep..."

Kyoya felt himself blush and he sheathed his sword, turning his head away from Hikaru.

Gingka stood. "Well, I'm going to the stables."

"Your talking Pegasus?"

"Yup!" Gingka rummaged around in one of the sacks laying around the room and picked out a leather pouch. He plucked a piece of jerky out of the little bag and practically skipped out of the room, tying the jerky container to his belt.

Personally, Kyoya thought that Pegasus was cracked in the head. Before he'd actually met the winged horse, he pictured him as a wise and noble spirit, roaming the world freely. Instead, he was an overly-talkative and childish fool who didn't know when to keep his muzzle shut. The only thing the legend got right was the name, the wings, and perhaps his history. Unless the names of Poseidon, Medusa, and Bellerophon were also sucked into the lie.

What a disappointment. Kyoya sighed and folded his arms behind his head, leaning back into the itchy blankets, closing his eyes, and trying to shut out the outside noises. Suddenly, he felt someone jab him in the ribs—hard.

"Move over," Ryuga mumbled.

"If I do that, I'll fall off the bed," Kyoya pointed out.

Ryuga was silent for a moment, and Kyoya thought that he'd finally gone to sleep.

"Move over," the archer repeated. A hand darted out, caught Kyoya in the stomach, and shoved him off the edge of the bed. The green-haired teen landed on his rump on the hard wooden floor, the back of his head knocking against the leg of a rickety wooden chair.

"Hey!" Kyoya snapped, rubbing his head and sore bottom.

He scrambled to his feet, made his way around the end of the bed, and settled on the other side. This time, Ryuga said nothing and rolled over.

"Enjoy the bed while you still can, boys," Madoka said, her voice coated in sugar. "Hikaru and I are getting it later."

Kyoya snorted. "Over my dead body."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Then take... this!" Madoka snatched the pillow from under Ryuga's head and threw it. Kyoya felt the projectile hit his face. He smirked and grabbed his own pillow, only for Hikaru to whack him with yet another one. "So, that's how it is," he said.

Soon, Yu, Kenta, and the twins were involved. A screaming, shrieking whirl of boys, girls, pillows, blankets, and even clothes swept the room like a tornado. Only Ryuga, Aguma, and Bao were left untouched by the storm—they stayed in their spots, acting oblivious to the pillow fight. It must have been quite difficult for them, since the room was tiny.

Kyoya was wrestling Reiki, trying to tug a blanket out of the blond's hands. Yu jumped on his back, getting into the spirit of their wild game. For the first time in a long time, Kyoya felt carefree—he had no worries except for who to hit next and how to get Yu off him.

Things got even more chaotic when Ryuga was hit in the head by a pillow. The archer growled, picked up a pillow, and thwacked it across his attacker's—Dan's—face. The Sodo twin stumbled back from the force of the strike, then countered with his own swing.

The battle raged for several more minutes until it was interrupted by someone knocking frantically on the door. Ryuga hopped off the bed and opened it. A voice floated through, but Kyoya couldn't see the speaker. "My name is Tetsuya Watarigani—AGH! What happened to your face, crab?"

Ryuga slammed the door in his face.

"Ryuga!" Kyoya scowled at the archer, who crawled back into the bed and pulled one of the tangled blankets over himself, grumbling about smelly hobos.

Tetsuya was pounding on the door again. This time, Kyoya swung the door open. There stood a skinny, stinky, and rather greasy-looking boy in the barely-lit hallway, whistling as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "You must be Tetsuya," Kyoya scoffed, leaning on the doorway. "Please don't come in."

He glanced over his shoulder to shoot his companions a dirty glare. "Keep it down!"

Then, he turned back to Tetsuya. "What do you want, crab?" he sneered.

"It's Gingka crab and his friend Toby crab!"

At the mention of Gingka's name, the room became deafeningly silent.

"Toby crab's sick, you see, crabbies? And when me, Toby crab, and Gingka crab were in the crab stable crab, Toby crab fainted crab!" The boy pulled on his seaweed-green hair. "So Gingka crab had to go crab with Toby crab home to take care of him crab! Sorry, crab, I say crab more than usual crab when I'm nervous, crab!"

_First a pillow fight, then a crab-obsessed guy? And Gingka's taking care of someone? This day gets weirder by the minute... _But Kyoya couldn't help but feel worried about his red-haired companion, and Toby, whoever he was...

"But... Gingki's okay, right?" Yu asked quietly.

"Yes, crab, he is, crab!"

_What if this Toby guy's dangerous? This might be a setup._ He was suddenly aware that Calor was a crowded town, infested with thieves and murderers. He tied his sword scabbard to his belt.

Kyoya picked his cloak up from the floor, then fastened it around his neck. "Tell me where this Toby's house is," he said. "We'll check on them. Madoka, you're coming with me." He gestured for the brunette to get up. "Bring your medic stuff."

"Already set, Kyoya."

"I'm coming, too," Ryuga grumbled, shoving a hunting knife in his belt. He pushed past Tetsuya, who did not hesitate to distance himself from the archer.

Kyoya nodded at Bao. "See you in an hour." It was a silent message—_If we don't come back, we're in danger. Make sure everyone gets out of here safely._ He and Bao had worked on those messages for a while—after all, they lived in a country that was struggling to survive a massive war.

Kyoya's first priority was always his friends.

* * *

Gingka: Hurry, DragonFang! Your mother's getting really mad!

Me: GAH! READ AND REVIEW, PEEPS! WISH ME LUCK!


	27. Calor

Kyoya: I just want to say that... DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade.

Ryuga: Luckily... This chapter just sucks. The humor just kills the mood of the story. You're dragging it out for too long and you're just stringing on more pointless chapters and you haven't even gotten to the point of this frickin' story! I'm bored. Where the heck's the action? Where's the main idea? The actual plot?

Me: I'm so sorry!

Ryuga: Ah, shut up.

Me: But... but you're right, Ryuga! *wails* I _am_ a horrible author! Well... there goes that dream... I guess I'll have to stick to... *shudder* ... Medical school... I don't even want to be a nurse! I'm only doing that because of my mom! I don't even know the difference between the kidney and the spleen!

Ryuga: Can you just get on with the story? Your speech is starting to bore me, too.

* * *

Ryuga had always liked the way his breath turned into white clouds in the cold seasons. When he was a child, he'd fill his lungs with air, then slowly let it out, just for the heck of seeing the little wisps swirl around for a heartbeat before completely vanishing. He'd even used to leaned out of his window in the middle of the night to do it—and he often got scolded by his father in the process, for making so much noise.

They were still fun to make, but he wasn't about to let Kyoya, Madoka, and that Tetsuya guy see him playing with clouds like a little kid...

He wasn't a kid anymore.

As he trudged behind his three companions, he was aware that Calor was an overcrowded city located on the side of a mountain.

Because of the city's location, the narrow, winding streets often turned into stairs with varying degrees of steepness—Ryuga had decided that they were often less than safe, as proven when Madoka and Kyoya had nearly slipped and fallen a few times. There were structures of different heights, such as the strings of tiny, rundown houses that made up the squatters and were located on the most unsafe crags. They bordered the bottom and sides of the city, like a wall of protection—like the front lines of an army, and the first ones to get killed.

There were also those three-story apartments that could house four or more families.

The larger, two-story buildings like inns and homes for the upper-class people were located on a flat clifftop in the middle of the settlement.

And of course, the large stone fortress located on a high ledge at the very top of the city, armed with what Ryuga could perceive as gigantic crossbows and trebuchets, surrounded by dangerous paths and boulders for easy access to projectiles. The walls were made of cut stone with added fortifications such as arrow slits.

The streets were covered with the sickly orange glow from the street lamps. Ryuga glanced behind him. Snaking around the lowest levels of Calor, gleaming black and white in the light of half moon, was the river that had led them through of the valley. The skies were a deep blue, the white stars twinkling coldly. The people walked with shoulders hunched, heads drooping. Even the children seemed weary and tired. Many of them looked like they were getting ready to leave.

It was a gloomy night.

The war had really taken its toll on the country.

The four—minus Tetsuya, who kept babbling on nervously—had been silent during the entire walk, especially since the walk had taken place in the squatters. A muscular, dark-skinned man glowered at them as they passed, but Tetsuya just waved at the man and said, "Hey, Argo, crab!"

Argo's scowl deepened, but he disappeared into one of the tiny buildings. Ryuga met the gaze of a young boy's wide brown eyes as they peered at the strangers through the small front window. The boy ducked out of sight. Ryuga tugged on his hood to make sure that it was still covering his face.

He didn't know what the wounds looked like—he refused to even glance at his reflection—but he knew what they felt like. They were thick and rough and were arranged in a nearly symmetrical way on both sides of his face and across the bridge of his nose. Like veins...

Ever since Hyoma had commented on them, he'd been feeling self-conscious about how the wounds looked, and had taken to covering his face, even around his companions.

Gingka hadn't even seen them yet...

"This way, crab!" Tetsuya led them down a dark, foul-smelling alley and up a flight of steep stone stairs that snaked around a three-story building, then to a treacherous rocky incline that was located right over the roof. After ducking under a few clotheslines, he stopped in front of an small stone house with only a curtain separating it from the outside world. "Hullo, crabby?"

Gingka slid the curtain open. His golden-brown eyes widened in surprise. "Tetsuya! Guys! What are you doing here?"

"We went to check up on you, Gingka," Madoka said.

"I'm fine." He stepped back to let them in, and pointed to a bed in a corner. "It's Toby you guys should be worried about. Will you see him, Madoka?" Madoka nodded, patted Gingka's arm, and hurried to the bed and knelt down next to it.

Kyoya grabbed the front of Gingka's already-quite-filthy shirt and jerked the redhead back and forth. "If you _ever_ go waddling off without my permission again, Gingka Hagane," he snarled, "you'll be so freaking sorry."

Gingka grinned sheepishly.

"You're such a tyrant, Tategami," Ryuga muttered, even though he found the sight rather hilarious.

"Shut up, Kishatu!"

Gingka slid in between the two older teenagers before they could start hitting each other. "Sorry if I worried you guys," he said, obviously trying to change the subject, "but Toby really needed my help. You see, he lives alone here and—"

"Why are there three beds, then?" Kyoya asked, gesturing to the two other cots in the small room.

"His friends used to live here with him," Gingka explained. "Zeo and Masamune. But when Toby got sick, Masamune packed up and hit the road. When he didn't return, Zeo left, too. He put Toby in Tetsuya's care, but they still haven't come back. It's been half a year already."

"Some friends they are," Kyoya scoffed.

Ryuga looked over at where Toby was lying. A dim beam of moonlight illuminated the boy's face, turning his skin and hair silver. His breathing was ragged and shallow, and he tossed and turned in bed feebly. He was the image of illness.

"There's something wrong with him... internally," Madoka said, closing her medicine bag. "I don't know what it is—whether it's his heart or some other organ, I really have no idea—but it's really hindering him. Is he like this a lot?" she asked Tetsuya.

"Sometimes, crab, but he always gets back up a few crab weeks later crab!"

"Well, it's definitely not good. Whatever he has... it's pretty much... I... I can't do anything for him." Madoka looked like she was about to cry.

Gingka made his way over to Madoka. "Toby's been like this for a while, Madoka," he told her soothingly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have prevented it. Besides, he'll live. He's pulled through all those months..."

"He's strong," Kyoya admitted.

"We've got to take him with us," Gingka said.

Ryuga growled, clenching his fists. "And give us another mouth to feed and another lost little child to take care of? He's sick and weak, Tategami—he's useless, and he'll just slow us down. Like Tendo. No way." He grasped the handle of his knife.

"Yu's been a great asset!" Gingka protested.

Ryuga snorted. "Take off the last two letters. That's what he's been."

"That fits Bao better," Kyoya pointed out.

"Needed to say something mean."

"You just love provoking people, don't you?" Kyoya looked extremely annoyed.

Ryuga shrugged, a thin smirk forming on his lips. "You're the most fun to tease because you take the bait so easily." And it was true. Kyoya was known—even back in Ensis—to possess quite a temper, and it was amusing whenever it flared.

But this time, the younger teen didn't explode. He merely crossed his arms and glowered.

_Not fun at all..._

"We're taking him with us when we go to Sirius," Gingka said.

"Who died and made you leader?" Kyoya scoffed. "As far as I know, I'm still here. And so far, I'm agreeing with Ryuga. I mean, we barely know this guy!"

Gingka's golden-brown eyes held a fire that Ryuga had never seen in them before. "Well, I do, even though I've only known him for a day! We can't just leave him here in these... these... dirty slums! He needs an actual shelter, and a clean environment with fresh air!" He pointed to Tetsuya, who was playing with a dried-out crab shell. "And someone who's actually _sane_ to take care of him!"

"Crab!"

"Oh, hush!"

Kyoya shook his head in what Ryuga guessed was amusement. "Okay, you've got me. He can go." He patted Gingka on the shoulder. "It's nice to finally see you change, Gingka. At first, you only cared about yourself. Now look at you."

Gingka turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Kyoya!"

Ryuga felt himself get pulled down into a group hug. Gingka's arm was wrapped around his neck and Kyoya's, effectively holding the two older teens in place. "I love you guys!" Gingka said, laughing and jumping up and down.

Suddenly, someone wrapped his arms around Ryuga's waist. "So warm, crab!"

"Get off me, you freak!"

* * *

Ryuga: Well, that's it for today's lame chapter. *leaves*

Me: Wait! Where are you going?

Ryuga: To the buffet! And to go beat up Tetsuya! And maybe eat some crabs in front of him!

Me: Pooh... He really does love provoking people... Anyway, guys, feedback is love!


	28. Sirius

Bao: I just want to say that... DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade. And it's about time she let me say the disclaimer. Kyoya always does it.

Me: Well, Kyoya loves saying the disclaimers!

Kyoya: That's true...

Me: And I want to wish my little brother a Happy Birthday, and I dedicate this chapter to him! Because no matter how frustrating, annoying, irritating, spoiled, rotten, bratty, monstrous, fake, and freakishly babyish he is, he's still my little brother and I lo... lo... lo...

Gingka: *thumps my back*

Me: Love him. And this is the only time I'm gonna say it! Too bad he isn't reading this... Oh, well...

* * *

"I want to enlist for the army, too," Toby protested, his hands clenching into fists.

Kyoya, Ryuga, Benkei, Aguma, and Bao glanced back at the group they were leaving behind in one of Sirius' many inns. "Well, you can't," Bao said. "You're sick. What if you pass out because of all the training you're required to do? And do you even know how to use a weapon?"

"I want to learn," Toby said.

"Too bad, sport. Mastering a weapon takes years, and we don't have years. And the army doesn't slow down to train amateurs." And the maroon-haired young man left—tailed by Aguma—leaving the rest of them speechless.

Gingka let out an awkward whistle. "You know what?" he said. "I'm gonna go check up on Pegasus..."

"No, you're not," Madoka said, getting to her feet. Gingka noticed that she was wearing the dress she'd been making for the past few days. "You're going with me to the marketplace, and we're going to find a way to make some money, and we're going to buy some new clothes!"

"But—"

Madoka shook her head. "No buts."

Yu, Reiki, and Kenta burst into laughter. "No butts!" Yu sputtered.

"Oh, shut up, you three," Dan muttered, but he was smiling anyway.

"Okay then." Kyoya grasped the handle of his sword nervously. "You sure you guys are gonna be okay?"

"We'll be fine, Kyoya," Hikaru said, sitting up on the bed. The wooden piece of furniture creaked with the sudden movement. "Don't worry about us. We can handle ourselves. Honestly, you are such a worrywart, sometimes."

"Worrywart? I am not a worrywart! I just... Most of you are pretty irresponsible people..." Kyoya and his blushing face were pushed out of the door by Ryuga. "Let's get going, Tategami," the archer grumbled, "while there's still a war to fight in."

"C'mon, Kyoya-pal!" Benkei exclaimed.

"Wait for us!" Madoka called, grabbing the money pouch and pulling Gingka after her.

* * *

"You call this piece of horse dung _art_?"

Gingka turned to the sound of the shout just in time to see a woman throw down a flat rectangle of wood onto the ground in front of a tiny stone house. He almost dropped the parcels that he was carrying for Madoka, who was also watching the scene with curiosity in her turquoise eyes.

A girl with long pink waves of hair, and a fancy teal-green coat bent down to pick up the painting, which Gingka noticed was just a rather odd mix of different shapes and colors. "Your face isn't art!" the teen retorted, and Gingka was surprised to find that the voice was male. The pink-haired artist was a boy!

"Untalented delinquent! Off with you! Scat!" The woman threw a bag at the guy's feet, stomped into the house, and slammed the door shut. Gingka heard her say something along the lines of "Worthless excuse for a son."

"Thanks for the encouragement, mom!"

Gingka turned to Madoka, who mouthed, _"That was his mother?"_ with a look of shock on her face.

_"That was a guy?"_ Gingka mouthed back, feeling just as shocked.

The pink-haired teen strolled towards them. He had an unusual amount of makeup and face paint on his face. His lips were blue in a clown-like sort of way, and a black and yellow half-mask covered the right side of his face.

"Hello there, fellow humans," he said. "I have never seen either of you around here before. You new?"

"Yes, we're travelers," Gingka explained. "We just arrived from Ensis."

"Ensis, eh?" The teen rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked around. "Rumor has it that it was destroyed by another one of Fortissimus' invasions. The king hasn't sent anyone to look for survivors yet, but everyone's saying that he won't because he needs every single man that could fight to go to war. Speaking of war, there's actually a big battle coming up in a few months... Are you refugees?"

"Yes?" Gingka was shocked by the sudden change of topic, and how no one was coming to Ensis... _There were probably no survivors, anyway, Gingka_, he told himself. _Except us. And the Sodo twins._

"And you two have come all the way from Ensis, alone? Do you know how dangerous that is? Shadow Hunters, man-eating birds, blood-sucking leeches... Is one of you a magician? Because both of you seem pretty unharmed." He gasped dramatically. "Maybe you're both magicians!"

Gingka tried to catch up with the teen's lively chatter. "There are actually others in our group, and—"

"Then there's that dreadful bandit from Goren!" he exclaimed, moving on. "Or was he in Mienora? Doesn't matter. Yes, I've heard that he was the worst. The worst, indeed. If he wanted to, he could steal from the king. I've heard that he's ten feet tall, with dark creepy eyes, and hands that could crush boulders!"

_That is the most inaccurate description of Yu I have ever heard._

"Yu?" Madoka muttered quietly, to herself.

But the guy heard. "Of course not! I would never steal anything from anyone! For your information, I am a soldier! You can't just go around accusing people of being a thief like that, little girl. It will get you in trouble. Big trouble. You could get hurt."

The brunette opened her mouth to say something, when Gingka stepped in front of her. "She was just joking! Right, Madoka?"

_Hope this guy's stupid._

He glanced over his shoulder at Madoka, who looked startled. Then, she seemed to get the message. "Yeah," she said.

"Well, don't do that," the pink-haired teen said, frowning. "The people around here don't take jokes lightly. Especially the other men. And you're so young and pretty, too! Why, if you didn't have a companion with you, you would've been raped by now."

Gingka put an arm protectively around Madoka, who was trembling. "I'm twelve!" she said.

"Age doesn't matter here. But enough about this pitiful heap of trash we call our capital city. I'm Jack." He held out a gloved hand.

They each shook it.

"Gingka."

"M-Madoka."

"Well, Gingka and Madoka, what do you want to know about this not-so-fine city? I know this place like I know the back of my hand!"

Gingka raised an eyebrow. _Didn't he just say that he was done talking about this?_

He exchanged a glance with Madoka.

_This guy's nuts._

* * *

Ryuga: Finally, we get somewhere! This... This is progress!

Me: And a lot of characters are going to be showing up when Kyoya enlists for the army in the next chapter! Including... *pauses for dramatic effect* Nile! That's who you've been waiting for, azure blue espeon! I'll try to post it ASAP! Before Christmas, probably.

Nile: Boom, baby!

Kyoya: That was kind of uncharacteristic there, Nile.

Nile: *shrugs* I'm doing it for the fans.

Me: Once again, Happy Birthday, bro! And I hope you get lots of presents today! Speaking of presents, I forgot to get him one... WHY MUST I KEEP FORGETTING TO GIVE PRESENTS TO MY LOVED ONES?


	29. Branded

Kyoya: I'm back to saying the disclaimers, and I'm loving it! DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade! *peace sign*

Me: You really do love doing that...

Kyoya: Yes, I do!

Me: Congrats to Gingka for finally making his official appearance in Zero-G Beyblade! And may I say, grown-up you looks _h-h-hot_! *fans myself* OMG, my fangirling's up to full blast... SSSSQQQQQUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEE EEEEEAAAAAAAALLL! *starts jumping around*

Gingka: Love you guys! Yeah! *hugs me*

Me: I'm now wishing (not for the first time) that Ryuga would show up. I bet he'd look as burning hot as the sun! As bright as the stars! A supernova! I'd be blinded by his pure awesomeness! He'd be like, _ripped_! Oh, gosh... *swoons* It makes me lightheaded just thinking about it! Oh, Ryuga...

Gingka: Of course. Loyal Ryuga fangirl.

Ryuga: In your face, Hagane! I still got the girls, even seven years later, fool!

Me: *faints*

* * *

"We are Gaelleon's last hope! We are the last line of defense!" The general was a dark-skinned, bald, muscled man who went by the name of Steel. "Ya rookies think ya have what it takes to be a part of the best this country has to offer? Are ya men?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Kyoya was nearly trembling in his boots—he was so excited. Or frightened. Maybe both. After all, it wasn't every day one got to see Gaelleon's toughest general—but it was rumored that he liked to be with the troops instead of in the war room. And he was intimidating, indeed. He wrapped his fingers around his sword handle—it was a habit now, whenever he was nervous.

For a moment, he wished that his friends were there with him. But Ryuga had gone to the archers' section, and he'd been separated from Benkei, Bao, and Aguma by the crowd... _Snap out of it, Kyoya. You can do this. Be a man!_

Steel paced back and forth in front of a large white tent. "Are ya soldiers?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Are ya ready to die for your country?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" came the slightly less enthusiastic, less immediate, and very jumbled-up reply. But Kyoya was one of the ones who yelled with all his heart and soul, feeling the excitement rush through his body. He took his hand off his sword and pumped it into the air, no longer feeling nervous. This was where he belonged.

Steel didn't look too happy about the hesitation. He pulled out a large sword from the sheath on his belt and slammed it into the ground, burying half of the blade into the soil. "I said!" he roared. "Are ya ready to die for your country?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" This time, there was no hesitation. Kyoya grinned.

"Good! Now... Ya never know when Fortissimus will invade, so ya better be ready on your toes all the time! Learn to trust your instincts! Be sharp! Carry your weapons around at all times, and hug them in your sleep!"

_I already do that_, Kyoya mused.

"I gotta head off to my tent, so I'll just leave ya suckers to my lieutenant!" Steel grinned, pulled out his sword from the ground with ease, and sheathed it. "He'll organize ya into your troops! Now ya'll be nice to 'im or he'll make sure that ya'll are put through hell! And don't try anythin' stupid! He isn't called the Eye of Horus for nothin'!" And he left.

Impressive. And very scary.

"Listen up, men!" A teenage boy was standing in front of the crowd, emerald green eyes as calm as the ocean, with a tiny flicker of anxiety. He had brown hair with orange bangs, decorated with gold ornaments. He was dressed in a simple green tunic bordered with gold and black, beige pants, and brown leather boots. Kyoya couldn't help but notice the orange tattoos under his eyes, giving him an air of mystery and pride.

The boy pointed to himself with a finger. "I am your lieutenant. You may refer to me as Lieutenant, or Lieutenant Nile. Either one's fine. I may be younger than most of you, but I don't need to remind you that I have won battles for Gaelleon before. I demand respect, and I'd _better_ get respect." His green gaze swept over the crowd. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

_Wow. He's... assertive._

"When you get to the front of the line," Nile continued, "you will state your name and age. I will put you into your troops and put you down on the list." Then, he pushed aside a crate, revealing a smoldering fire. He pointed to several metal rods. "Then, you'll be branded."

Several people—including Kyoya—fidgeted. And of course, most of them seemed to know that this was required in order to get into the army. Kyoya, however, had been totally clueless. Along with a few petrified others.

"What?" Nile sneered. "Are you pussy willows?"

Murmurs of "Hell no!" and "Yes, I am!" traveled through the crowd. Some broke away from the mass and retreated.

"No," Kyoya muttered.

"Line up, ladies!" Nile tapped a leather boot on the ground.

As time passed, Kyoya noticed more leaving until there were perhaps less than a hundred people in line. After an hour, Kyoya's ears were ringing from all the screaming he'd heard as the metal rods were pressed into skin.

Finally, it was his turn.

"Name and age." Nile dipped a quill pen in ink and held it over the paper.

"Kyoya Tategami." He was thankful that his voice didn't shake. "Fourteen."

He heard a quiet, "So you're my age, huh?" as Nile scribbled the information onto his list. The dual-color-haired teen looked up with an unreadable expression in his eyes and stood, walking over to the bed of coals. "You're in Troop 15." He picked out two of the metal rods. "Hold out your arm. This may hurt a lot."

Slightly trembling, Kyoya put his hand on the table, the palm facing upwards.

He felt Nile steady his hand.

Then, the red-hot iron was pressed into his wrist. He shrieked in agony, blinking back the horrible tears. He tried to stifle the screams by biting his lip, drawing blood. But it was nothing compared to the pain of the branding iron. It hurt hurt hurt _hurt_ so much that Kyoya thought that it was going to melt through his skin, flesh, and bone until it had burnt a hole in his arm.

The thought only made him bite harder and scream louder.

_Oh, gods, please let this be over..._

For a moment, he was given some relief and he felt the iron retreat...

But another one took its place—as burning hot and as painful as ever. He felt his knees start to shake, but he steeled himself. He will not fall. He steadied his legs and body and took the pain as quietly as he could muster.

"You're done," Nile told him. His voice sounded fuzzy...

Kyoya stumbled out of line, sweat trickling down his face. He grabbed his paining wrist with a shaking hand and examined the skin that was touched by the branding iron. It was dark and blistered, in the shape of the numbers one and five... for Troop 15...

"Oh, gods," he moaned to himself. "Help me... Oh, gods... oh, gods... oh, gods... oh gods..." He grimaced at the pain, then tore off a strip of cloth from the edge of his cloak and placed it over the burn. It hurt more than ever.

"B-B-B-B-Bull! Kyoya-buddy!"

Benkei was running towards him, arms outstretched. The large teen scooped Kyoya into a crushing hug, almost squeezing the air out of his lungs. His wrist, pressed against Benkei's stomach, was killing him. "Put me down, Benkei!" Kyoya hissed.

The purple-haired teen obediently dropped him.

"How... how can you still be able to do that... after being branded?" Kyoya muttered.

"Well, Kyoya-pal," Benkei began, "it'll take more than a stupid piece of metal to knock this bull down!" He thumped his chest with a large fist. "Ow!" His face twisted into a wince, and he clutched his arm in pain, realizing that it was his branded arm.

Kyoya smiled grimly at his companion. "You, my friend, are an inspiration," he said flatly, patting Benkei's back.

Soon, Bao and Aguma joined them.

"Well, that was... interesting," Bao said.

"Are you kidding me?" Benkei blubbered. "Are you kidding me? That was the most painful thing ever!"

Bao growled. "It was, moron!"

"I'm in Troop 18!" Benkei said.

"15," Kyoya muttered.

Bao and Aguma stated that they were in Troop 21 and 22, respectively.

Suddenly, an earsplitting whistle shattered the air and sent the crowd into silence. Nile was standing before them. Apparently, he'd just finished branding the remaining applicants. The new soldiers quickly assembled into somewhat orderly rows, trying to look good in front of the lieutenant.

"Here are the basics you need to know to survive in the army," Nile said. "Don't be whiner babies. If you don't like your fellow soldiers, too bad! You're not allowed to switch troops, and if you do, you will be caught, I promise you that—that's why you were branded. Another rule—always listen to your leading officer. They will be in charge of your training, and your life. Upset them the tiniest bit, and they'll have you cleaning the lavatories every night with a spoon for the next six weeks!"

Kyoya shuddered and once again moved his injured arm. A jolt of burning pain shot through his limb. He gritted his teeth.

"Also," Nile said, "don't harass your fellow soldiers. Especially the women."

Wolf whistles.

"Shut up! The women here are some of the fiercest, deadliest soldiers I know, and if you lay a finger on them, you will get your hand sliced off and fed to the dogs! I have high expectations for you—all of you." His eyes narrowed. "And if I get any reports about _any_ of you, you're going down. If you commit a crime, I will execute you on the spot. Once again—are we clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Training area is that way." He pointed to his right, where there was a slope leading down to a deep, wide stone hollow in the ground. "And that's the camp." On his left, beyond the fence of pointed sticks, was a field of tents in multiple colors organized into neat rows.

"Now wait here. I'll call your leading officers." Nile vanished into the maze of tents that was the camp.

Several minutes later, the dual-color-haired teen came back, trailed by a group of people. Most were adults, the others were teens. Very few were girls. Kyoya spotted a short boy with blue hair and pale green bangs, wearing a fancy white cape and golden armor. His belt held a chain and a flail, and on his back was a halberd. The boy sneered at him, and Kyoya glared back.

"Troop 14, right over here!" the boy called.

"Troop 3!"

"Troop 18!"

Benkei heartily smacked Kyoya on the back with his uninjured hand, sending the scarred teen stumbling forward from the force of the quite painful blow. "That's my call, Kyoya-buddy!" he exclaimed. "I'll see you soon, pal!"

"Troop 6!"

"Troop 15!" a young woman—probably no older than Kyoya—called. She had jet-black hair cut into a choppy bob and pale skin. She was wearing a black leather jerkin, black pants, black leather boots, and a black cloak. On her hip was a dark scabbard.

Kyoya put a hand up in farewell to Bao and walked over to the girl.

When all the new soldiers had been gathered into their assigned troops, the black-clad girl spoke to the small group that had assembled in front of her. "My name is Miyako Matsubara," she said, her voice smooth and confident. Her eyes were obsidian-black and burned with a dark and cold fire. "I am the leading officer of Troop 15."

* * *

Nile: I sound bossy here.

Me: Well, forgive me! This was the first time I wrote about you!

Miyako: I finally show up...

Me: Yes. Yes, you do.

Miyako: I don't like you.

Me: *sobs*

Ryuga: My name is only mentioned in here once! What the fuq is wrong with you?

Me: I'm sorry!

Ryuga: What? Are you getting bored of me?

Me: Of course not!

Ryuga: Hmph.

Me: *stops sobbing* Suddenly I realize that grown-up MFB is like, seven years older than me... Ryuga would be like, twenty-five! And Gingka's twenty! THE SHEER HORROR! *passes out again*

Gingka: I don't get it. I look like I'm sixteen in here...

Me: *wakes up* I know right! *passes out _yet_ _again_*


	30. Archery

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade, or any of the characters.

Ryuga: And our authoress here has something to tell us...

Me: I just want to say that I've heard of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, and my heart aches for the children and teachers who died. I thank the staff members for taking action and protecting their students, even though they knew they'd die... I pay my respects to the victims... and I pray for their families. As for the psychopath who did it—his name shall not be mentioned... I hope his soul rots in hell for all eternity. What he did was just plain cruel and wrong. He killed many and ruined the lives of many more. How can he look into the eyes of an innocent child and just pull the trigger?

_It's almost Christmas..._ _The children had their whole lives ahead of them..._ _And those lives were taken away in a heartbeat..._

* * *

Ryuga was wandering around the archery camp, trying to memorize the layout... and trying to find the armory. So far, he wasn't having much luck. The bustle of camp was hard on his hearing, and all the smells were jumbled up.

So, he was stuck on his own, blundering confusedly through the maze of tents that all looked the same. Soon, he spotted the towering gray, barren trees that signaled the edge of the camp, and the beginning of forest. His feet were now sinking into dead, soggy leaves.

His senses were beginning to recover—they'd been dulled and worn down by the sounds and smells of civilization.

There was barely any wildlife around—they seemed to still be captivated by winter's cold spell and were probably buried in their burrows and dreys. It was close to spring, yet there was still a thin layer of snow covering the ground like a soft white blanket, sparkling like billions of tiny jewels in the pale sun—untouched like hidden treasure.

And to Ryuga, it _was_ like hidden treasure.

_This place seems to be the only one that still has snow... the others were all cleaned up._

Ryuga hopped on top of a fallen tree propped up by a pile of boulders, disturbing some of the snow that frosted the dark, slippery bark. He dug his fingernails into the cracks in the damp, rotting wood and scrambled up the tree trunk, heading towards the roots suspended in the air, large clumps of dirt ensnared in their hands. He grabbed the nearest root and hauled himself up, climbing from handhold to handhold like a squirrel would. He slung his game bag off his shoulder and tossed it up to make the climb easier.

His hood was whipped back by the sudden gust of cold wind that tore through the forest, and he quickly pulled it over his head again with one hand, muttering a thwarted curse.

He perched himself on a thick, gnarled root near the very top of the tangle.

It was a good little hiding spot. The surrounding roots hung over and around it, casting dark shadows and partially hiding him from prying eyes. He sat back and watched in amusement as his breath danced in the air in the form of white clouds.

_Never gets old._

He shoved a hand into his pocket and grabbed Ayumu's dragon tooth necklace by the leather cord. He pulled it out and examined it for the hundredth time—the cracked, yellowed surface; the hole that was carefully drilled into the tooth to allow the cord to go through.

Ryuga missed his old teacher.

He wondered what Kyoya would think about him taking the necklace. The golden-eyed teen had slipped it into his pocket before he had followed Kyoya back to the group after seeing Ayumu's corpse hanging from that tree...

… _Is it a crime to take stuff from dead people?_

Suddenly, the necklace slipped out of his grip.

"Dammit!" He watched it tumble down, and sat up to retrieve it.

"Hey, there!"

The white-and-red-haired teen peered through the roots with a contemptuous sneer, slightly lifting up the edge of his hood to get a better look at the man in front of him—or rather, below him. "What do you want?" he snarled, putting a hand on the handle of his knife.

"This yours?" the man held up a leather cord, from which dangled the dragon tooth.

Ryuga grabbed his game bag and jumped down from the fallen tree. His boots slipped on the smooth, snow-covered boulders, and he only barely managed to make a less-than-graceful landing on his feet. "Hand it over," he growled, sticking out his hand.

The bald man frowned at him. "What happened to your face, boy?"

"That's none of your business!" And just like that, Ryuga's hood went up.

The man's eyebrows drew together in a frown, but his dark eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Now, now," he said, waving a finger in front of the archer's face as if he were talking to a child—Ryuga's eyes crossed as his gaze followed the finger back and forth. "Do ya really think it's a good idea to talk to your general like that?"

Ryuga froze. "General?" he muttered. "General..."

_General... general..._

_Battle..._

_Father... death..._

"The name's General Steel. Nice to meet ya." The man held out his hand, flashing him a friendly grin. For the first time, Ryuga noticed his fancy armor and the several medals that adorned it. He shook his hand absentmindedly. It was warm and dry and calloused...

_General... general..._

_Battle..._

_Father... death..._

"Ry... Ryuga K-Kishatu," the teen whispered.

Steel raised a dark eyebrow. "Kishatu? As in... Hatori Kishatu?"

"I... I'm his... son..."

_General... general..._

_Battle..._

_Father... death..._

Was he the same one...?

He had to be...

Steel gave him a small grin. "I knew you looked familiar! You're the spitting image of your father! Only difference is that red part in your hair! I knew him personally, ya know. Great man, that Hatori." He gazed off into the distance sadly, and Ryuga stared at his feet, trying to suppress the painful memories that were resurfacing. Quiet, both stayed still, sifting through their own personal experiences.

Then, the general turned back to him. "Couldn't stop talkin' 'bout you. You as good an archer as he said ya are?"

Ryuga allowed himself a small smile, and he puffed out his chest slightly in pride. "Of... Of course, I am."

"Yeah?" Steel raised an eyebrow good-naturedly. "Show me."

And that was how Ryuga Kishatu ended up at the large archery range in the middle of a grassy field—surrounded by several people he didn't know, an unfamiliar bow in his hands, and several arrows stuck into the ground beside his feet.

He put his bag down, plucked an arrow out of the soil—feeling all eyes on him—and nocked it. He tentatively drew back the stiff bowstring, knowing that shooting with a new bow would get him different results. The large red dot was straight ahead. He adjusted his stance and took a deep breath. He turned his head to meet Steel's eyes and wished that the general hadn't drawn such a large crowd.

Before he knew it, the arrow was hurtling towards the wooden target without him even being aware that it had left his grasp. He jumped back, startled. That had never happened before. Not even when he was just learning how to shoot.

The arrow missed the target completely, embedding itself into a tree several yards away.

"Nice aim, hotshot!" someone called out with a snort, and obnoxious laughter rippled through the crowd. Ryuga gritted his teeth, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment, and pulled up another arrow. His hands trembled.

_So many people..._

Another miss.

He tried once more.

The arrow landed on the outermost red line.

"Get outta here, amateur!"

"Who taught you how to shoot? A blind man?"

Ryuga felt an angry growl vibrating in his throat. His fists shook with the desire to hurt—to hit someone hard in the face and draw their blood. A bead of sweat was forming on his brow. He picked up another arrow, noticing with frustration that Steel was starting to look disappointed and more than a little embarrassed.

He drew back the bow.

_I won't miss..._

_I won't miss..._

_I won't miss._

He let go.

The arrow shot towards its master's intended target, almost moving in slow motion. Ryuga blinked, then groaned silently. The arrow had embedded itself a few inches away from the bulls-eye, the stark white fletching bright against the target's wooden brown and red surface.

_Damn it! _He cursed.

"You suck!" More laughter spread through the field like wildfire, jarring Ryuga out of his dark thoughts. The teen balled his hands and waited for his anger to drain. The range was quiet again—everyone was waiting to see what he would do next.

He yanked another arrow out, and heard exasperated moans and jeers from the crowd.

"Doesn't this guy ever give up?" he heard someone mutter.

Ryuga felt blood pounding in his ears as something inside of him seemed to snap. He whipped around to glare at the boy who had spoken, then whipped an arrow from the quiver, nocked it on the bowstring, and let it fly out of his fingers.

All in one fluid movement.

The arrow shot through the center of the teenager's curly blond hair. The guy jumped back, looking frightened. The stalk of wheat that he was biting down on dropped out of his mouth. "Dude!" he yelped, trying to untangle the arrow from his hair. "Seriously?"

"You okay there, Tobio?" Steel grinned at the teen.

"Yes, General Steel!" Tobio—apparently, that was his name—stopped messing with his hair and stood up straight.

Steel clapped a large hand on Ryuga's shoulder—rather painfully. Ryuga flinched at the sudden contact. "I want ya to make this boy here feel welcome," the general said, a hint of stone creeping into his voice. "Ryuga Kishatu. He's one of you guys, ya hear me? Treat 'im like ya treat every other recruit—with respect. Remember—he's a human being. You don't want a repeat of what happened last year, do ya?"

Tobio shuddered, and saluted his general. "Yes, sir!"

"As for you..." Ryuga felt Steel ruffle his hair, and huffed. "Tobio here's in charge of the archers, so that means he's your boss. Ya better do what he says."

And with that, Steel left.

Tobio turned to him, drew another stalk of wheat out of the pocket of his black leather jerkin, and put it in his mouth. "C'mere," he said, gesturing to Ryuga, who bent down to pick up his game bag from where it sat on the ground. "I'll bring you to your tent."

Ryuga followed the blond teen to a dark blue tent.

"Play nice with your fellow archers now, will you?" Tobio opened the flap, ushered Ryuga inside, and followed. The tent was roomier on the inside than it looked from the outside. Four sleeping mats—one of which was unoccupied—were spread out on one side of the tent. The other side was cluttered with bags, clothes, and armor, organized into three sloppy piles.

Two of the three occupants of the tent were sitting on a green sleeping mat. They had looked up from a game of checkers. One of them had long golden hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a dark blue tunic, black tights, a red jacket, and brown boots—at first, Ryuga thought he was a girl, but noticed that his eyes were masculine. The other one looked a lot like Kyoya—tall, jade-green hair, cornflower-blue eyes. He was wearing a gray and green tunic and black pants.

The third guy was sitting on a red mat, quietly waxing his bowstring. His hair was raven black and styled like Tobio's—his skin was a dark brown, and his eyes were even darker. He was wearing a red long-sleeved tunic, beige pants, brown leather boots. He was wearing strange jewelry—large golden hoop earrings, a black choker, and a gold circlet around his forehead.

"Listen up, ladies!" Tobio said loudly. "You have a new colleague. Make him feel at home."

As soon as Tobio exited the tent, Ryuga dropped his bag on the ground next to the blue sleeping mat—sadly, it was right in the middle of the chaos.

The boy who looked like Kyoya—he couldn't have been more than twelve—sat down on the red mat next to his. "Hey," he said with a friendly grin. A silver ring glinted from where it pierced his left ear. He held out his hand. "I'm Kakeru Tategami. What's your name?"

The white-and-red-haired teen turned away. "Ryuga," he stated.

_Tategami never told me he had a brother... Wonder if I should tell him the next time I see him..._

He heard Kakeru move around behind him. "Well, the guy who looks like a cross-dresser here is Teru Satome—"

"Cross-dresser?" came Teru's miffed voice. The golden-haired boy was sharpening one of his arrows.

"—and that quiet guy's Demure," Kakeru continued cheerfully in a way that reminded Ryuga of Yu. "Demure's your partner, by the way. Teru's mine." He was silent for a moment, but Ryuga could hear him fidgeting like a restless animal.

"So what level are you?"

"Level?"

"You know—how good are you?"

Ryuga smirked and turned to face the boy. "Really good."

"Really?"

"I just said it, kid."

"Well..." Kakeru grinned widely and laid down on his stomach, kicking his feet back and forth in the air. "Can you show me now?" he asked, looking up at Ryuga with those Kyoya-like eyes. "I'm bored, and I get really sick of shooting at the dumb targets—I always miss the bulls-eye. Tobio says I have no control."

"You don't," Ryuga heard Teru mutter.

Ryuga remembered what happened on the archery range and scowled. "No."

"Aw, come on! You can't be that horrible!"

"I'm not."

"Prove it."

Ryuga flopped down on the sleeping mat and snorted. "I don't want to. Listen, kid—I had a long day..."

"Oh." Kakeru sounded disappointed. "Okay. I understand."

A long, awkward silence settled in the dark blue tent. The sounds from camp barely penetrated the tent's thick walls—designed to keep out the cold. Kakeru sighed rather loudly and dramatically. "I'll just stay here," he said theatrically. "Bored... alone..." Another sigh. "... unwanted..."

"Thank you," Ryuga muttered, and closed his eyes.

"... incompetent..."

"Do you ever shut up?"

Kakeru seemed to be more annoying than his older brother.

* * *

Me: Thanks for reading this chapter, and I'm sorry if I didn't get Kakeru's character right. All I know is that he's either grinning or smirking all the time, and I chose to give him this personality. I guess, now that I look at it... it's fitting. Him being Kyoya's little brother and all.


	31. Unexpected Reunion

Kyoya: ... DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade, or any of us! And I'll say this as nicely and as normally and as calmly as possible, Fang... WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING A REINDEER COSTUME?

Me: *dryly* Because it's nearly Christmas and I'm super-depressed because a guy in my class, who I really really like, just smashed my fragile heart into a bajillion tiny little pieces on Friday, thus taking away my ability to ever trust any other guy with my feelings ever again? *sobs*

_Flashback_

_Girl (who my crush likes, probably): Hey, Maria, will you help me tie this bracelet?_

_Me (Maria): Sure. Oh, that's so pretty!_

_Girl: Yeah, (insert the name of my crush here) gave it to me._

_Me: *fake enthusiasm* Oh, really? That's so sweet!_

_My inner thoughts: That looks pretty expensive... HE DIDN'T EVEN GET ME A PRESENT! AND BY THE WAY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUB IT IN MY FACE, YOU SHALLOW, NARROW-MINDED B*TCH! YOU KNOW THAT I LIKE HIM! I TOLD YOU THAT BEFORE! GGGRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!_

Ryuga: There, there... *awkwardly pats my shoulder* Let's just get on with the chapter before she starts crying on my shoulder...

Me: *cries on his shoulder* Merry Christmas, Rye! *wails*

Ryuga: *sighs* Too late.

* * *

"So you're telling me that there are magicians, here, in Sirius?" After dropping off Madoka and their purchases at the inn, Gingka had continued to walk with Jack and found that the pink-haired teen made... interesting company. He reminded Gingka of an older, more mature, and quite cynical version of Yu, who had insisted on coming, but instead, had to stay because Madoka didn't want Jack "tainting" the little boy's mind.

Gingka had wanted to tell her that Yu was a former thief, and had probably gone through worse than a rather disturbing conversation with Jack. However, he had bitten back the urge to speak, and held his tongue in fear of her snapping at him.

"Of course, there are!" Jack said. "Without them slowing down and destroying enemy troops, and capturing enemy soldiers and making them give away their plans, we'd all be either a pile of rotten bones and dried bird droppings, or slaves working for the Fortissimus and perhaps satisfying their sexual urges! Bye-bye, Gaelleon!"

Gingka nodded slowly, uncertainly—he'd had to struggle to keep up with Jack's way of talking. Then, his mind latched onto what Jack had just said—before "Bye-bye, Gaelleon!"—and his mouth dropped open in shock. "They'd really make us—"

"Well, there are soldiers like me!" Jack boasted. "We're like one-man armies, slashing and hacking and slicing and stabbing!" He choreographed his speech with graceful movements of his slender sword. "We're so skilled, no one would ever be able to capture us!"

"They'd really make us..." Gingka shuddered.

As the pink-haired teen babbled on, the redhead's attention wandered to a fruit stand that displayed a variety of fruit—apples, bananas, oranges, mangoes, pears, pineapples, guavas, kiwis, pomegranates, papayas, coconuts... He stuck his hand into his pockets and found that he had no money.

_Oh, well..._

Jack plucked an apple out of the pile and bit into it with a loud _crunch_. Then, he put it in Gingka's hand. "You look a little thin, Gingka," he said. "Here—have an apple. My treat." And he walked away, just as the shop owner was turning around.

"What?" Gingka yelped, staring at the back of Jack's retreating figure. "But... but..." He stared dumbly at the partly-consumed fruit in his palm, not knowing what to do with it—should he eat? Suddenly, he realized that he had no money to pay for it.

_Maybe I could just..._ He placed the apple back onto the pile, with the bitten side face down, and slowly started to turn around.

"Hey!" the shop owner barked. "You think I didn't see what you did just there?" He picked up the evil, bitten apple from where it lay menacingly on the top of the pile, and thrust it into Gingka's face. "You eat it, you buy it, sonny."

Gingka turned to the burly shop owner—whose face was colored a frightening shade of red—his heart pounding nervously. He fidgeted. "I really am sorry, sir, but... but I don't have any money." He was practically begging, trembling at the large, shiny machete in the man's large hands.

"Then you'll be punished, thief!"

"But it's not my fault!"

"It's either you pay with money or you pay with your life! Guards!" The machete blade was resting on Gingka's nose.

Two men were running towards them, each wielding a sharp spear. Gingka screamed, panic clawing at his stomach like thorns on a rose bush. He turned tail and fled, his feet flying off the ground, and his arms pumping to propel him faster.

The redhead leaped right over a cart of fabric, barely clearing it. He landed on his hands and knees, then pushed himself to his feet and kept running. He pushed over a crate and heard the cracking and groaning of wood as it hit the ground and broke. He hoped that the contents of the crate would be enough to hold his pursuers back for a few extra heartbeats.

The surrounding people seemed to have figured out what was happening, because a few of them lunged for Gingka. The redhead managed to dodge some, but took blows to the face and chest. He was tackled to the ground, and soon, people were swarming over him. Some were trying to help him up, and others were pinning him down.

Six guards loomed over him, telling the people to back away.

Gingka sat up, holding a hand over his bloody nose, wondering if he should call for Pegasus, who was somewhere in the forest, then decided against it—_I can't put him in danger_. Suddenly, a sharp pain raced through his head as a muscled man pulled him to his feet by yanking on his hair. "So, you thought you'd be able to escape us?" he sneered. "Do you know what you are, boy?"

"A boy?"

The guard's face contorted into a deep scowl. "No," he ground out, shoved Gingka's face into the ground until the redhead felt like his skull was going to splinter into a million shards of bone. "You're a thief. And do you know what happens to thieves around here?"

"Uh... you let them off with a warning and a pat on the shoulder?" Gingka tried for a smart-aleck comment again.

"Nope. But you're about to find out."

The familiar scraping sound of a sword being drawn out of a scabbard made itself known to Gingka's ears. "What?" he asked, putting bitterness into his words. "You gonna kill me? Huh? Is that what you're gonna do? Kill me? And for what? Because I supposedly stole a stupid little apple?"

A low growl was heard. A sword roughly poked the back of Gingka's rib, making the boy yelp in pain as the thorn-sharp metal tip of the weapon dug into his skin again... and again... and again, making blood trickle out of the wounds. "Now you listen here, kid..."

"Stop!"

Gasps.

Gingka felt a large, warm hand wrap around his arm, and gently pull him to his feet. He weakly stumbled backwards into his savior's arms, panting and keeping a wary eye on his tormentors, who were staring at the man behind him as if they'd seen a ghost. Gingka turned.

There stood a tall, cloaked figure, his face shrouded in shadow. Rings adorned his fingers. Pendants hung from his neck. Under the cloak, he wore a blue tunic with a rich sheen—like silk or velvet—decorated with elaborate designs and an assorted collection of brooches. His feet were in fancy boots with curled toes. On his belt were several pouches, and a thin white wooden stick.

"It's the Wizard!"

Soon, a wide circle was cleared, and people were starting to bow their heads in respect.

The stranger placed a hand on Gingka's head and stepped in front of him, acting as a barrier. "This boy," he said, a hint of venom in his voice, "is under my protection. I've been looking for him for a while now. He's a new apprentice, and from now on, you'd better treat him right, or you'll be answering to me."

The guards paled, and then dropped to their knees on the ground, stammering apologies.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly, they were in a strange room. Shelves and tables occupied the large space. There were books and crates and trunks and large branches scattered all over the place, making it look like a tornado had blown through it. There was even a small fish—a tiny shark—swimming around in a glass tank.

Gingka looked around wildly. "Where are we?" he asked, backing away from the man. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The stranger stepped closer, his palms held out, as if trying to say that he meant the boy no harm at all—still, Gingka grabbed a tree branch from the nearby table and held it in front of him like a sword. The man slowly raised one hand and lifted his hood. "I've finally found you," he whispered, kneeling down in front of Gingka.

Tall, fiery red hair... lightning-bolt-shaped eyebrows... a small goatee... The boy stepped closer and found himself staring into a pair of familiar honey-golden eyes that he hadn't seen in over the last eleven years in his fourteen-year-old life.

Gingka's eyes were wet with tears that fell rapidly, running down his face in hot, salty rivers. He threw down the tree branch and rushed at the man, wrapping his arms around his chest, sobbing on his shoulder and letting out all of the misery, anger, and sorrow he had been holding in for such a long time.

"Father..." Gingka choked out.

* * *

Me: Thanks for reading this chapter. I may be having a suckish Christmas so far, but I uploaded for you guys, and I really hope you enjoyed it. It's about time Ryo showed up in the story, right? *smiles weakly* Have a Merry Christmas, and I hope it's not as miserable as mine.

Gingka: You must really like that guy...

Me: How often do you find a nice, friendly, funny guy who talks to inanimate objects and lets you hit him on the head? He's perfect! *crying*

Ryuga: ... Fang, I've seen you happy, angry, frightened, and annoyed. But never have I seen you this upset, and I must admit, I frickin' hate it. If I ever see that guy's face, I swear on my pride and honor that I will smash it in. You're like the insane, obesssed little sister I never wanted, and I don't like seeing you hurt.

Me: Aw, I love you too, Ryugie! *glomps Ryuga* I love you so much! You're so nice, and awesome, and hot! *cuddles* And you smell really nice today... like grass... and soap... ? *sniffs* Ah...

Ryuga: ... You're a strange little sister. *pushes me away*

Gingka: Don't hit girls, Ryuga! *pokes Ryuga's stomach*

Ryuga: Oh, it's on, Hagane! *tackles Gingka to the ground*

Kyoya: TICKLE FIGHT! *gets tickled by me*

Me: Merry Christmas, everyone! Oh, and did I mention that this is my one-year anniversary on Fanfiction? Actually, it was on the 21st, but I posted my first story, The Ember of Despair, today, one year ago, when this archive had less than 1,000 stories! I love you guys! Merry Christmas! Come to the virtual buffet! *bursts out laughing*

Kyoya: Gotcha!


	32. Oh, Brother

Me: Hey, guys! I'm back, and here to wish you a belated Happy New Year! Goodbye to 2012, and welcome to Earth, 2013! It's a new year for new beginnings... and new chances to get a new crush... *grins*

Ryuga: But you're not gonna get a new one, are you?

Me: You know me so well, Ryugie! I LOVE YOU!

Ryuga: *dryly* Figures.

Kyoya: And though it's a new year for new beginnings and changes and things like that, I'M STILL THE DISCLAIMER DUDE! *dances around, then stops and clears throat, blushing* DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade!

* * *

"Up!" Miyako snapped. "Down! Twenty-seven!"

Kyoya was cursing under his breath as he raised his body for yet another push-up, sweat trickling down his face. His arms and back were killing him. They felt like they were made of lead—incredibly heavy and incredibly painful. He realized that he was not as fit as he deemed himself to be. After the one-hundred jumping jacks, he was exhausted.

Miyako barely looked tired—she was probably used to this daily routine. She had positioned herself in front of the group, so that she could catch the cheaters who might claim that they did more push-ups than they really did.

There was no way Kyoya was going to let himself be upstaged by a _girl_.

"Up! Down! Thirty! C'mon, you pathetic little wussies! Twenty more to go!"

Collective groans rose from the remaining soldiers. Some let themselves collapse onto the ground and walk away.

A fourth of the troop was seated on the benches surrounding Troop 15's training area, their backs to the other groups. Unfortunately, it was only a few minutes past dawn. However, this meant that the sides of the training hollow cast a shadow over Troop 15, providing them with shade—not that it helped much.

The only ones left were Kyoya, Miyako, and several others who may have had been in the army longer.

"Up! Down! Thirty-five!"

Kyoya's arms shook as he raised himself again.

He painstakingly pushed through several more of the push-ups until he felt a heavy boot thump onto his back and shove his body down. He grunted, glad to have been relieved of the training exercise, then quickly propped himself up with his elbows and glanced towards the one who had stopped him.

"That's enough," Miyako said sharply. "Don't tire yourself out before we get to the fighting."

"Sure," Kyoya muttered. The green-haired teen looked around and noticed that he was the only one left on the ground. He stood and dusted himself off, rubbing the small of his back and wincing as his muscles screamed in pain—it was like his spine was cracking.

A boy was looking at him with interest—his pointed tongue skimmed his thin lips, and his yellow eyes glinted menacingly.

Reiji Mizuchi—Miyako's second-in-command—had been one of the first ones to give up. He was pale and skinny, but under his red and yellow bangs were calculating snake-like eyes. His long fingers tapped an irregular rhythm on the handle of his sword. The tunic he wore was definitely memorable—it was powder-blue in color, with the bottom part designed to look like snake scales glinting in the sun.

Miyako's dark eyes darted around and she nodded. "Alright, _men_," she sneered. "Now, we train with weapons." She pointed to a rack of weapons—swords, knives, staffs, clubs maces, flails, halberds, shurikens, hammers, axes, spears, sickles, scythes, whips, and several other kinds that Kyoya had never seen before.

"If you can't use one," she said, "you'll most likely end up dead. Now pair up with a partner. I'd better not catch any of you slacking off!"

She nodded to Reiji. "Mizuchi."

The snake-eyed teen stood up.

Something caught Kyoya's eye. Or rather, _someone_.

Benkei was waving at him from the other side of the training hollow, jumping up and down excitedly. "Kyoya-buddy!" he screamed. Then, he tapped the guy next to him, turned the poor boy's head to face Kyoya, and said, "That's my pal, Kyoya, from Troop 15! He's so amazing!"

His voice was so loud that other people were turning to him with looks of curiosity, amusement, and irritation, and following his gaze to none other than... Kyoya Tategami. The green-haired teen bowed his head and covered his face in embarrassment, trying to hide himself. He squeezed in between his other troop members, ignoring their snickers, and headed towards the rack.

Deciding that this was an opportunity to learn to fight with new weapons, Kyoya curiously picked up a knife. Well, it wasn't exactly a knife—more like a bar with a blunt end, and two curved prongs projecting from the handle. He frowned, trying to study it.

"That's called a sai."

Kyoya turned.

There, in his commanding glory, was Nile, ignoring the stares that he was getting from the lower-ranked soldiers. The orange-and-brown-haired teen picked up another "sai" from the rack and held it out. "It's a dual weapon," he stated. "You can catch a sword between the main shaft and one of the prongs."

The second Kyoya spotted the lieutenant's arm move to the weapon on his back, he raised the sai in his right hand just as a white flash appeared. The clang of metal against metal rang in his ears as the blade landed in the space between the two prongs, just missing his thumb.

Unsettled by the fact that his thumb had almost been chopped off, Kyoya dropped the weapons. "I'd rather use a sword," he muttered.

Nile drew another sword—identical to the first one—from the sheath on his back, expertly twirling the blades in the process. The thin, single-edged swords had golden handles wrapped in dark red cord. A challenging smirk was dancing across his lips. "Let's spar then, partner."

It wasn't a request. It was an order.

_Guess I found a partner..._

Kyoya slid his own sword out of its scabbard and held it out in front of him, grasping the handle with both hands and bringing the pommel to his right thigh. He narrowed his eyes, ready to analyze his opponent's stance. The sounds of the training hollow—as well as the onlookers—went by ignored.

_The battle is the most important thing._

Nile spread his legs apart and held a dual sword on each side of his hips, the tips of the blades pointing forward.

Without warning, Kyoya charged.

Nothing prepared him for what came next.

In the blink of an eye, Nile was pushing him back with ease, his swords pale blurs as he waved them about in complicated patterns that almost made him seem like he was dancing. He moved smoothly, fluidly, gracefully, like a bird of prey in flight.

Kyoya had a hard time blocking the lightning-quick blades, but miraculously, he managed to keep his defenses up until Nile had started to slow down the slightest bit. That was the moment he darted forward and hit the hilt of one of the swords with his own blade.

Just as the second dual sword was about to make contact with his head, Kyoya ducked and tilted his own weapon upwards to block it. He quickly switched to offense, immediately swinging his blade and knocking Nile's sword out of his grasp.

The weapon slid across the sand.

His stride never faltering, Nile lunged at Kyoya with his remaining sword. The green-haired teen raised his blade to parry, but found that Nile hadn't been planning to strike after all—he was running towards the sword he'd dropped. Kyoya followed quickly, raising his weapon. Nile grabbed the fallen sword, did a tuck-and-roll, and ended up in a crouch—both swords in his hands, ready to intercept any attack.

And intercept, he did.

Slice.

Parry.

Swing.

Duck.

Backtrack.

Attack.

Slice.

This pattern went on for a few more minutes, until Nile feinted a stab towards Kyoya's throat. The green-haired teen dodged the blow, but he leaned too much to the side. The momentum imbalanced him a bit, and he swung his sword too late. Nile took advantage of this and hit Kyoya on the chest with the pommel of one of his swords, knocking the air out of him and ended up with him falling on his back.

Two cold sword tips touched his neck.

Nile flashed him a tiny smirk.

* * *

The lieutenant was a good sport about his win... and the several others that followed their first sparring session. Kyoya was getting sick of losing and going off to the exact same spot to sit down and rest, only to be forced back up again by his pride.

Just when he was about to sit down on his spot on the ground—which was probably already starting to develop a butt-shaped depression in it—Miyako was yelling at them to, and quote: "Get off your butts, you lazy bums! It's lunchtime!"

They were led to a grassy field located on top of the hollow, separated from the steep edge by a wall of sharpened wooden poles. In the middle of the area was a crude bed of coals and rocks, on top of which rested several large pots, each manned by a greasy lump of hair and food stains that was a person.

It was the familiar layout of the army's eating area.

Clay bowls were rapidly handed out, and a large man in a grimy apron called up the troops.

"B-B-B-Bull, Kyoya-buddy!"

Kyoya found himself barely enduring one of Benkei's bone-crushing hugs.

"Isn't the army great?" Benkei yowled. "It's so fun, don't ya think, pal?"

"Benkei, put me down." Kyoya sighed in relief once his feet were once again touching the soil and rubbed his spine once his feet were back on the ground, making sure that nothing had been damaged. He gestured to Nile. "I... you already know Lieutenant. And please don't hug him."

Nile grinned. "Just Nile's fine."

"Lieutenant!" Benkei gushed. "It's so great to meet you, Nile!"

"You're a... spirited one, aren't you?"

"Thanks!"

As he watched the exchange with amusement, Kyoya noticed a rather large group file into the eating area. Most of them carried bows and quivers of arrows—the archers. He got to his feet and searched for Ryuga, hoping to see a flash of his distinguishable white and red locks.

"B-B-B-Bull!" Benkei shrieked. "I see Ryuga!"

_He's psychic._

"Where?" Kyoya squinted his eyes. Then, his jaw dropped open in shock as a boy with jade-green hair and cornflower-blue eyes waved at him, yelling, "Hey, there, guy who looks like me!" as he weaved through the crowd to sit down at Kyoya's feet. "So... are you the Kyoya Ryuga mentioned this morning?"

"Wha...?"

He knew this kid—he was his brother. He remembered his uncle telling him about him having a little brother—a year younger than him. He was named Kakeru. But when Kyoya was about four, he stayed over at a friend's house. Over the course of the night, his house had collapsed, and killed everyone in it. Including his mother, Kakeru, and the maid taking care of him.

_But how's he alive?_

"You... you're..."

"Annoying." Ryuga was stalking towards them, scowling. He grabbed Kakeru by the back of his shirt and shook him. "This brat's been pestering me for the last seven hours. He's more annoying than Tendo—at least the other twerp knows when to shut up."

"You... you're..."

"Ryuga!" Benkei hugged the archer. Of course.

"Hanawa, if you don't put me down, I swear I'll throw your fat ass into that fire!"

"Sorry."

"How's it going, Tategami?" Kyoya didn't even notice that Bao had joined the group, Aguma seated next to him.

A boy with long blond hair sat down beside Kakeru, followed by a teen with a head of black curls.

"Do I know you?" Kyoya asked, irritation starting to settle in. He was starting to feel a little cramped by all the people who were coming. Besides him, was Nile, then Benkei, Kakeru, Ryuga, Bao, Aguma, and now the two strangers.

"I'm Teru," the blond said, flicking his bow at him.

"And I'm Demure," the curly-haired one mumbled, his voice barely audible.

Once the introductions were made, Kyoya turned to Kakeru, his mind drawing a blank, not knowing what to say. His eyes wandered to the bow on Kakeru's shoulder. "So... you're an archer." He was still rather unsettled by the fact that he was staring at someone who was related to him—he'd been without relatives for the last three years.

"Yup. I also might be your brother, although I'm not really sure..."

"You are."

"Oh, I knew that." Kakeru extended his arms and wrapped them around Kyoya's neck. "I have a big brother!" he exclaimed, laughing. Then, he stood and tugged on Kyoya's arm. "Hey, everyone!" he yelled. "I have a big brother!"

"Stop that!" Kyoya snapped, shrinking under the glares that they were getting.

"Told you he was annoying," Ryuga muttered from behind his water canteen.

* * *

Me: I just love Kakeru! He's so cute! I saved pics of him!

Ryuga: Stalker.

Me: *mutters* I do that with tons of cartoon characters.

Mary Sue: Happy New Year, everyone! *bats eyelashes beautifully*

Ryuga: YOU INVITED HER?

Me: Well, she is one of my beloved OCs, and I wouldn't have become a Fanfiction author if I haven't discovered what the term Mary Sue means. And because my favorite OC, Miyako, started out as a Mary Sue herself! *sobs*

Miyako: *gapes at a picture of her old self* You... I... used to be so... I USED TO BE SO DAMN PERKY? *tears at the paper with her teeth* I USED TO BE LIKE... HER? *points to Mary Sue*

Mary Sue: *grins stunningly and waves*

Miyako: *growls* I hate her.

Me: Group hug! *pulls Mary Sue and Miyako into a hug* I love you both!

Mary Sue: I love you too, Fang!

Miyako: I'm so hating this...

Ren (my guy OC): Hey, guys! I came to share the group hug, and wish everyone a Happy New Year, even though I won't be appearing... yet... *hugs*

Mary Sue: Aw, you're so cute!

Ren: I used to be a gymnast! And now I'm a dancer! *winks at Mary Sue* 'Sup, beautiful? Name's Ren.

Mary Sue: *giggles sexily*

Miyako: Flirt.


	33. Freedom Is Power

Mary Sue: My amazing and talented creator, DragonFang2011-chan, does not own Metal Fight Beyblade!

Me: Aw, thank you, Mary!

Miyako: *growls* Suck up.

Ryuga: Since when did Mary Sue become "Mary?"

Me: Since she and I went to the ice-cream shop to hang out for a bit! She's actually a really interesting person... *mutters* With lots of money... and I can hit her all I want, and she just keeps healing... *laughs evilly, but it turns into a cough* Ack... ate too much ice-cream. *coughs a little bit more*

Ryuga: That's why... Hey, has anyone seen Tategami?

Kyoya: *in his emo corner, mumbling deliriously to himself* She's replaced me... she's replaced me! Not fair! I'm the disclaimer guy! Me! Not her! Me! *laughs manically* I'm the disclaimer guy! I'm the disclaimer guy! DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade! There... I said it... *shrieks* I DON'T FEEL ANY BETTER!

* * *

"Hey, Ryuga. Ryuga..."

The archer grunted and opened his eyes, blinking the bleariness of sleep away. He tensed, wondering why Gingka was up so early, then let out a soft breath and stayed still on his sleeping mat, hoping that he'd be able to fool the younger boy into thinking that he was still asleep.

It didn't work.

"Ryuga, get up!" Gingka whispered. "Tobio's calling everyone already!"

_That doesn't sound like Gingka... and who the hell is Tobio?_ Ryuga sat up and rubbed his eyes, muttering indignantly. He found himself in a roomy, dark blue tent, face-to-face with a boy who bore a rather scary resemblance to Kyoya, before he remembered where he was.

"Oh," he mumbled. "It's you." He stood and quickly donned his clothes and archery equipment.

"Hurry, Kishatu! Teru and Demure are already gone!" Kakeru said. As soon as Ryuga had smoothed back his spiked hair, he grabbed the older teenager's arm and dragged him through the tent entrance. "You don't want to miss breakfast!"

"I think I do."

"I know the food's not the best, but you should give it a try, anyway!" he went on. "There's always lots of good talk around the fire! You always go off on your own before all the meals! It's like you don't want to spend time with us! Isn't that just so funny?"

"Hilarious."

"Hey, guys!" Kakeru sat down on the ground beside the fire and Teru and Demure. "Look who finally got out of bed!"

"Shut up, Tategami Number Two."

"Why am I Tategami Number Two?"

"Because your brother's Tategami Number One."

"That's so not fair! And that's not a good reason!"

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"So why do you guys work so hard to hit the targets right?" Ryuga scoffed as he watched Kakeru miss the bulls-eye once again, his arrow landing on the outermost ring. "All we do is stand on top of a wall, shoot arrows into the air, and hope they hit people."

Demure nocked an arrow and prepared to shoot. "Because Tobio's not only the leader of this camp—he's also the leader of an elite squad of archers, named the Snipers." He shot yet another perfect bulls-eye and went for another arrow. "Tobio's field name is Captain Capri, after his favorite constellation, Capricorn."

"The archers on that squad get to go on cool missions, and if you're lucky enough, you could get picked to become an assassin!" Kakeru exclaimed, going over to the pile of wooden squares. "I'd like my field name to be Chimera! Because it's just so cool!"

"Hmph. What's so great about killing people? That should only be necessary in self-defense."

"It's... it's a special position!" Kakeru said, seeming a little ashamed. "I mean... It's just that... It's not like I _want_ to kill people..."

"Kakeru." The green-haired boy was saved by his partner. "Hurry up."

Kakeru sighed in relief and picked up a wooden block. "Ready, Teru?" he called.

The blond-haired teen nodded and placed an arrow on his bowstring.

Kakeru tossed the block into the air. Teru quickly jerked the point of his arrow up and shot the square right in its center and it fell to the neatly trimmed grass with a soft thud. "Boring, Kakeru, _boring_!" he said, grinning. "Send in more!"

The younger boy obliged and threw another one. Teru took this one down just as easily as he did the first.

This went on until Teru missed one block completely. Then, he and Kakeru switched places. The green-haired boy couldn't even hit one.

"It's not fair," Kakeru grumbled, crossing his arms. Ryuga could practically see the imaginary steam that was shooting out of his nose and ears. "How come I'm the only guy in this team who can't shoot? I bet big bro can shoot better, and he's not even an archer!"

_I bet he can__,_ Ryuga mused.

"Archery takes years to master," Demure said, adjusting the circlet in his hair before nocking another arrow. "You can't expect to get bulls-eyes all the time if you've only been an archer for four months. You need to be patient."

"Four and a half months," Kakeru mumbled. "And I _am _patient!" he said, louder.

"No, you're not," Teru deadpanned.

Kakeru shot at a target again, and missed the bulls-eye. Again. "Argh! Stupid! Stupid!" He hopped around as if his feet were on fire. "Stupid!" He scuffed his boots on the ground in frustration. It was strange seeing someone who was so normally good-natured to act so violently, especially towards the poor grass.

_He's really taking this seriously._

Demure winced as he missed the target completely. "At this rate, I'll never join the Snipers," he muttered.

"What are you talking about, Demure?" Teru huffed. "You're the best archer in the group. You just need a little confidence, is all. Try thinking about how you're a much better shot than Kakeru. Or Ryuga. They're pretty horrible."

"Hey!" Kakeru exclaimed.

"I can shoot bulls-eyes," Ryuga growled indignantly through gritted teeth, his face heating up as he tried to restrain himself from strangling the biggest pain in the butt in the world—who was casually taking a swig of water from his canteen as if he'd never done anything wrong in his life. "I just haven't got any recently."

"I've seen you shoot," Teru pointed out. "And believe me, you suck."

"I prefer 'out of practice.'"

"What about 'lacking in skill?'"

"What about I punch you in the face, pretty boy? How does that sound?" Ryuga flexed his hands, wanting to feel the sensation of cutting skin and splintering bone—perhaps hear screams, and probably pull some hair out. Red tinged his vision.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone!" Kakeru stepped between the two archers. "If you guys keep fighting like this, we'll never end the war!"

"It's been going on for more than two decades, kid," Ryuga said dryly. "What's another few?"

"'Another few' is another few years of death and destruction," Kakeru said quietly. "Another few years of hate. Gaelleon loses more and more soldiers every day. Soon, there'll be no one left. We'll be enslaved by the Fortissimus, or worse, killed. That's why..." His eyes were shining with tears. "That's why we must fight. For freedom."

The four archers were silent at the sudden serious mood that blanketed their little group. Even Demure paused, his fingers not releasing the arrow just yet.

"Freedom?" Ryuga half snorted, half laughed at the boy's way of thinking. "Freedom is just an illusion we humans conjured up to make us feel better about ourselves," he scoffed, picking up his bow. "We never had freedom."

Teru started. "That doesn't—"

"We spend every day of our lives following orders, rules, responsibilities given to us by other people. That's not freedom! That's oppression! True freedom is running around without worrying about if you're going to die the next day. True freedom is letting go of everything holding you back, everything that restrains you. True freedom... true freedom is power."

"'True freedom... is power...'" Kakeru murmured to himself. "I'll remember that..."

"No, Kakeru, you won't remember that," Teru said. He turned to Ryuga. "I won't have you filling up his tiny little brain with all this nonsense."

"My brain is average-sized, thank you very much!" Kakeru snapped.

"What you're talking about is savagery," Teru continued, ignoring Kakeru's protests. "We have rules because we don't want anyone to run around doing crazy things. We have rules because things need to be kept civilized. I thought you'd only kill in self-defense. Except with this 'true freedom' of yours, you'd be able to kill whenever you want, wherever you are."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Ryuga shot back. "Rules are cages. Cells. Prisons. They hold us back."

"They protect us from ourselves and each other," Teru replied coldly.

_Damn it—he's pretty good at this debate stuff._ Ryuga didn't really know what to say to that without making it sound like he was being redundant. Finally, he managed to come up with something. "There is no such thing as protection."

He nocked an arrow and scored a bulls-eye.

* * *

Gingka: True freedom is power... sounds like something Ryuga would say.

Ryuga: True freedom is power!

Gingka: *to me* And what does it mean, when he said that there's no such thing as protection?

Me: Ah... I came up with that one myself. Unfortunately, I am still trying to figure out the true meaning, although I do not think there _is_ one, to begin with. There are many messages in that saying, if you put your mind to unearthing all of them, you will find them...

Mary Sue: What's with the wise sensei tone? And where'd you get the bubble pipe?

Me: I borrowed it from Sokka, from the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe.

Mary Sue: Ah...

Kyoya: *screams* DRAGONFANG2011 DOES NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER! *glares at Mary Sue*

Me: Uh... That wasn't really necessary, Kyoya, but... um... for your sanity, I'll just go along with it. *pats his shoulder* Great job, dude! *smirks mischievously* That was your last disclaimer, by the way. I'm replacing you with Mary Sue. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Kyoya: *foams at the mouth and collapses*

Ryuga: *dryly* He's not moving. Or breathing.

Mary Sue: That was a little... brutal, DragonFang-chan...

Me: *pokes Kyoya* You think?


	34. Magic

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters!

Me: Kyoya, have you seen Mary?

Kyoya: *innocently* No, ma'am.

*In some random truck heading to Canada*

Mary Sue: *struggling beautifully to free herself from the ropes* MMMPPPHHHMMMGGMMMLLLLL!

* * *

"_Where were you all this time?"_

"_Once they discovered I was capable of doing magic, they took me away," Ryo said. "I had to hide you before they found you. I just had to protect you. I wanted to visit you, Gingka, I really did. But there's just too much going on around here."_

_Gingka crossed his arms and looked down, trying to hide the tears that were starting to come again. "Why'd you hide me?" he whimpered, his voice shaking. "You could've taken me with you, and we would've been together!"_

"_Because the child of a wizard is always a wizard," he explained. "If they discovered you, they would have taken you here, and they would have raised you like they raise their children." He placed his hands on Gingka's shoulders. "And that's not always a good thing."_

Gingka hugged his pillow and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. Even though he'd been living in the castle for three days already, the room that he had gotten seemed like a foreign place. It was much larger than he was used to. He felt incredibly out of place. Despite the fact that Madoka and the others were somewhere in the castle, he couldn't shake off the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

He remembered going back to the inn with Ryo, and telling Madoka and the others everything. Of course, they laughed at him, but he showed them that he was telling the truth, so they were taken to the castle. But that was nothing compared to his father's reaction when Gingka had shown him the Pegasus in the stable.

The sun was just starting to rise, and normally, Gingka wasn't up this early, but the previous night, after being introduced to the royal family—his father had told him that they would get started on his training the next day.

The royal family had looked very royal, indeed, and they'd seemed pretty surprised to see him. However, the shock of meeting them was so intense that Gingka didn't even bother to remember their names, something that he was too ashamed to admit to his father.

Gingka blushed with pride, remembering how his father had introduced him—his voice had been filled with pride. But his stomach churned at the thought of how, as they were leaving, Hayato had ordered Ryo to stay. His father had returned pale-faced, and didn't talk much for the remainder of the night.

The redhead leaped out of bed and changed out of his old tunic, and into the new blue robe that his father had given him. It was made of velvet and felt kind of heavy, but Gingka didn't really mind. He pulled on his new shoes and ran out of the room.

He knocked on the door of the room next to his. "Guys," he hissed. "Are you awake?"

A sleepy-eyed Kenta greeted him. "Hey, Gingka," he said.

"Sorry. Did I wake you up?" Gingka smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.

Kenta shook his head. "I woke up a couple of minutes ago, but Yu's still sleeping. Toby left."

"Ah..." Gingka peered into the room and a heap of blankets. Then, it shifted, revealing Yu's messy blond hair at the very bottom. He turned back to the green-haired boy. "Well, Kenta, do you wanna go with me to the forest?"

His friend's large brown eyes widened. "Where are we going?"

Gingka looked around and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He bent down. "Well, I was going to visit Pegasus," he whispered. When Kenta glanced back to Yu, Gingka added, "I think we'll have time to pass by the castle armory on the way back."

"Really?" Kenta's grin was so large that Gingka thought that it was going to split the boy's face.

At Gingka's nod, Kenta donned his cloak and knife, and sat down to put his shoes on. Then, he stood and rummaged through the bag in the corner, pulling out his knife. "I wonder if I could get any new weapons," he said enthusiastically.

Gingka opened the door to let himself and Kenta out. "Do you think Yu's gonna be okay when he wakes up?"

"He'll be fine." Kenta ran a hand through his rumpled hair.

The two descended the stairs, trying to act civilized. Gingka felt the scrutinizing stares as he passed the servants and other nobles, and wondered if being a wizard's son was such a good thing. He knew that they'd taken notice of him, and for the past three days, he'd been trying to meet their invisible standards, even going as far as to take off the cloth around his forehead.

He and Kenta passed by the dining hall. The scent of freshly-baked bread entered Gingka's nose, and the redhead's mouth watered at the thought of some good food. He wandered towards the kitchen, barely hearing Kenta's objection.

"Gingka! Kenta!" Madoka was waving at them from the other end of the room. After maneuvering through the busy cooks and busboys, they reached her. She was wearing a stained apron over her dress, and her long sleeves had been rolled up. Her face was smudged with flour. "How'd you guys sleep?" she asked.

"Just fine, Madoka," Kenta said.

"Food..." Gingka stopped himself from drooling over the plate of hot buns that Madoka had in front of her.

"You guys haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you?" she continued. "Well, I'm just about done with these buns, so you could have them." She turned away and picked up a brush. "Just give me a sec to put some sugar and cheese on this."

The second the last speck of sugar touched the bread, Gingka snatched them off the plate. "Thanks, Madoka!"

"Don't take all of them, Gingka!"

"You knew what you were getting into, Madoka," Kenta said.

The brunette leaned on the counter and closed her eyes in exasperation. "Yeah."

After saying goodbye to Madoka, Gingka and Kenta cut through the castle garden and through the door in the wall that led to the forest, munching on their breakfast. Gingka couldn't help but admire Madoka's baking skills. The bread was so warm and fluffy...

_Just like her... _He shook his head. _Wake up, Gingka._

For Pegasus' safety, Ryo had placed him in a cave in the forest, something that neither Pegasus nor Gingka were too psyched about. However, the winged horse hadn't complained as much as Gingka had thought he would, and when Gingka had asked him about it, he'd said that he could sense that Ryo was a powerful magician, and therefore, respected him.

Before rudely adding that it was impossible for Gingka to be related to Ryo.

Gingka pushed aside the curtain of icy that sheltered the entrance of the cave from prying eyes. "Hey, Pegasus," he said.

"Gingka! Thank the gods it's you! I was beginning to think I've been imprisoned again!" Pegasus got to his hooves and trotted over to the redhead and Kenta, his coat, mane, and feathers a warm orange in the light produced by Ryo's magical torch. "And the boy who's shorter than that still-short blond kid!"

"I have a name. It's Kenta."

"Oh, really? I thought it was Yu."

"No, Yu's the blond one. I'm Kenta."

"I thought the blond's name is Kyoya."

"Kyoya's the one with green hair."

"So then your name's Kyoya," Pegasus stated, tapping the ground with a hoof. "Because your hair's green. I think. I don't really remember trivial details such as hair color or appearance. I pay attention to the strength of your will and the power within you. What's your name again?"

"I'm Kenta!" Kenta exclaimed, sending Gingka a can-you-believe-this-guy look. Gingka shrugged and looked on in amusement as Kenta repeated his name to Pegasus, who kept switching everyone's names around until Kenta called Ryuga Benkei.

"Ugh! Never mind!" Kenta snapped. "Gingka, your Pegasus irritates me." The last sentence was a mutter.

"I know, right."

Pegasus snorted.

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"'Magic is the power of apparently influencing the course of events using supernatural forces,' they say," Ryo said. "And I totally agree with them. However, it takes more than a wand to perform it correctly. If you don't listen to my instructions, you may as well be dead."

Gingka gulped.

"This is your wand," Ryo announced, taking out a short dark brown stick.

Gingka quirked a brow as he took it into his hands. "How does this thing work? It's a stick."

His father shook his head. "Wands are infused with ancient, magical objects, preferably body parts from mythical creatures." He raised the white stick that he kept on his belt. "My wand has the feather of the immortal phoenix inside of it!"

"Sweet! What's in my wand?"

"Fairy dandruff."

"Ew."

Ryo laughed, making Gingka wonder if he had been joking or not. "Magic's tricky. If you use a spell that's too complicated and powerful for your mind and body to handle, you could spontaneously combust, which is why it takes so long to master magic. I haven't even done it yet."

"You haven't?" Gingka was shocked.

"Yes, really. Here's a tip—start small. The easiest spells to do are the ones where you don't have to summon anything. An example is Levitation." Ryo gestured for Gingka to come over. The redhead hesitantly inched towards his father.

"There are several known types of magic, Gingka."

Gingka dipped his quill into the ink well and held it over the paper, poised and ready to take notes.

"You will be learning the seven basic types—Levitation, Elemental, Healing, Altering, Transportation, Telepathy, and Summoning." Ryo waited for Gingka to get those notes down before continuing. "To be able to use magic, you must learn to speak the Ancient Language, or Latin."

"Latin..." Gingka wrote down the word.

"Latin is the most powerful of all languages. It was used before the time of the greats—by elves, fairies, and all different kinds of races. A mere Latin word uttered by an inexperienced magician can mean death for somebody, but with wands and proper training, we can harness the power and use it properly. Let's start with Levitation. Levitation is the ability to move objects with one's mind."

"The word for this is..." Ryo flicked his wand. "... _Dimoveo_."

A glass jar filled with some glowing, flickering green liquid slowly rose into the air, hovering steadily over the table as if it were sitting on top of an invisible platform. Then, it floated downwards and settled back on the table, as unmoving and bound to the ground as it did before the spell.

Gingka blinked in silent awe, marveling at how easily and perfectly his father had executed the spell.

"It translates directly to 'move,'" Ryo explained. "Remember, Gingka, Levitation does not change the physical or chemical composition of an object. Unless you either break it or mix it with something else, of course, but other than that..."

Gingka tapped his chin with his wand thoughtfully. "_Dimoveo_..."

A slight tingling sensation made itself known to his chest and stomach, accompanied by a thick book hurling itself at his head in all its leather-bound fury. He yelped and ducked just as the book whistled over his head and slammed into the wall behind him before falling to the ground with a loud _thud_.

Gingka sighed in relief and stood, straightening his robe and trying to look dignified.

"Focus on the book itself," Ryo said, bending down and picking the book up, "not the outcome. When you Levitate something, it's best if you picture the object in your mind and wave your wand in the direction you wish for it to go in. I admit you did well for your first try, but unless you want to end up with a bump in your head, I suggest you focus on what you're doing and watch what you say from now on—at least until you've gotten the hang of it."

Gingka blinked.

It wasn't the first time he felt stupid that day.

* * *

Ryuga: Alright, now I'm not even mentioned here! Do you hate me?

Me: No! I have a picture of you in my locket!

Ryuga: ... Now that's just so weird.

Gingka: *waves a stick at Ryuga* _Dimoveo_! _Dimoveo_!

Ryuga: That's not gonna work, fool.


	35. Meeting Royalty

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters!

Mary Sue: I still haven't forgiven you for stuffing me into that truck!

Kyoya: I thought you were part Immortal Phoenix and mastered your powers an hour after discovering them.

Ryo: *shakes his fist* B*TCH!

Mary Sue: *sobs beautifully* I'm a gorgeous sixteen-year-old girl! What do you expect?

* * *

Kyoya let out a yelp as he was knocked to the ground yet again by Nile's skilled movements. He groaned as he propped his upper body up with an elbow and squinted at his lieutenant, who was starting to look a little bit more smug than he usually was—he was even waving at their audience.

"At least you put up a better fight this time," Nile quipped, raising his arm to wipe some sweat off his cheek with his shirt sleeve.

That didn't make Kyoya feel any better. He stood and dusted the dirt off his clothes—he knew that he was being a spoilsport, but he'd lost forty-six times in a row, and that was his forty-seventh. "You know, Lieutenant," he began, putting a little bit of anger into his tone, "you don't have to be such an ass—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Steel interrupted them. "Which one of yous is Kyoya Tategami?"

Kyoya raised his hand. "That would be me, sir."

Steel beckoned him over. "Nile, can I borrow him for a while?"

Nile playfully saluted his general. "Yes, sir."

"Let's go, then, soldier," Steel said. He and Kyoya trooped across the training hollow, taking an unfamiliar, but obviously frequently used path through a patch of trees. Kyoya wondered why Steel had taken him out of training, and where they were going.

So he asked Steel.

"To the castle," he replied over his shoulder. "You and a friend of mine have been called there by Hotaka, the king's second-in-command. Dunno why, but an order's an order, ya know? Can't disobey 'em. Could've sent another one to fetch ya, but I had to do it, specifically."

Kyoya nodded, even though he knew Steel couldn't see him.

They emerged from the trees and walked up the path towards a mass of colorful tents. Kyoya glimpsed a marked field with several white and red targets, with people shooting arrows that them. He realized that this was the archers' camp.

_Funny_, he mused. _I never would've thought it was so similar to our camp..._

"What are you doing here?" Ryuga asked stoically as he shot at a target, hitting it right in the center.

"Yo, big bro!" Kakeru said, throwing his arms around Kyoya. "How's it going?" Suddenly, he noticed Steel standing right next to him. "Ah!" He scrambled to straighten his rumpled tunic and attempted to smooth back his unruly jade-green locks. "General Steel!" He partly hid himself behind Ryuga.

"I just need to fetch Ryuga here, no need to drop everything," Steel said, patting Ryuga on the head as if he were no more than a puppy.

"Don't touch my hair."

"What'd ya just say to me, boy?" Steel put Ryuga into a headlock and rubbed his knuckles on his scalp.

"Don't touch my hair, _sir_!"

Steel let him go.

Ryuga stumbled backwards and massaged his head. "Man, that smarts..."

The familiar way the two acted around each other puzzled Kyoya.

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"So what are you here for?" The girl with dark turquoise hair pulled into two buns leaned forward, her purple eyes shining warmly. "It's not everyday a bunch of ragtag refugees get to meet the king. Are you special, or something?" She smiled and fingered the twin hammers that hung from her belt.

"Be quiet, Mei Mei," a purple-haired little boy snapped, before either Kyoya or Ryuga could reply. "You're not supposed to talk to them!"

"Ah," Mei Mei said. She turned to Kyoya. "Forget I said anything!" Then, she whipped around to face her comrade again. "You're always like that, Chi Yun—way too mysterious."

"I think you mean 'serious,' Mei Mei," the guard with the short maroon hair quipped. He had an unusually large sword on his back—it was probably taller than him, and Kyoya wondered how he was able to carry it without straining under its weight. A regular sword was heavy enough.

"Hush!" was Chi Yun's reply.

"No need to be so impolite to your fellow guards in front of the guests, Chi Yun," the guard with the long brown and yellow hair—who had been quiet until then—said. "We can talk for now—just not when we get into the throne room." His tone of voice suggested that he was the leader of his group.

"Sorry, Da Shan," Chi Yun said apologetically.

"I'm so lumped!" Mei Mei breathed. "This is my first time going into the actual throne room!" She did a tiny little dance on the spot.

"The word you're looking for is probably 'pumped,' Mei Mei," the maroon-haired boy said.

"I do wish you'd stop correcting me, Chao Xin..."

"That's the thousandth time you've said that, and I'm still not stopping," Chao Xin said teasingly.

Kyoya grinned. They reminded him of his own little group.

"Kyoya! Ryuga!"

"Gingka?"

Kyoya barely recognized the boy running towards them. His golden eyes no longer gleamed with fear as they usually did—instead, they shone with joy and some kind of pride that looked new on him. He was wearing a blue velvet robe and brown leather gauntlets and the pointed tips of new boots poked out from under his robe.

What alerted him to the fact that it was Gingka was his fiery red hair, honey-brown eyes, and the ridiculous blue headband that looked like it had been made recently.

"It's so great to finally see you guys again!" Gingka said, enveloping Kyoya in a hug with a strength that nearly rivaled Benkei's.

He moved to hug Ryuga, but then froze at the archer's frosty glare.

"So, do you know why we're here?" Kyoya asked.

Gingka shrugged. "I was called down here from my lessons. No one said why."

The large wooden doors in front of them swung open, creaking loudly and amplifying the omniscience that already seeped out of the room. The four guards quickly regained their composure and escorted them into the room. Kyoya found it hard to move his feet.

The guards stopped walking when they got to the middle of the room, then stepped away from them. Kyoya noticed that there were four other guards who were already in the throne room. They looked particularly tough—tougher than Da Shan, Chi Yun, Chao Xin, and Mei Mei.

King Hayato looked regal in his violet, black, and white garbs. His thick black hair and beard was streaked with gray, and his golden eyes were bright and scrutinizing—framed with a few smile wrinkles—as he gazed at those in front of him. The large golden crown placed upon his head caught Kyoya's attention—it was an amazing piece of craftsmanship, with almost flawless curves and twists, adorned with sparkling gems. He wouldn't be surprised at all if the crown was polished every five minutes, just to wipe off the most miniscule bit of dust. The king's royal purple velvet cape—trimmed with fine threads of fur—was draped over his broad shoulders and the arms of his throne, throwing his black leather vest and black silk pants into deeper shadow.

On the king's left, stood Queen Aimi. She was the most beautiful woman Kyoya had ever seen. Her long, silky-looking hair was a rich silver, held back from her face by a simple circlet of gold with a single diamond embedded in the center—much less elaborate than the king's crown, but just as impressive, as it was designed to be more elegant than flashy. Her eyes were dark blue and unreadable, and her skin was extremely pale—paler than a Shadow Hunter's—as if it had never seen the light of the sun. She wore a flowing white silk gown with long, drooping sleeves with a belt made of glossy golden threads woven together. She radiated an aura of mystery and grace.

On the king's right, was the prince—Tsubasa, Kyoya believed, was his name—garbed in a sleeveless purple tunic trimmed with gold, over a white long-sleeved shirt with puffy sleeves; brown pants; and brown boots with brass buckles. Brown leather arm guards were wrapped around his wrists, and Kyoya barely caught the cold glint of a knife blade on the right side of his belt, and a sheathed sword on his left. A golden circlet—similar to his mother's—was wrapped around his forehead, decorated with golden crosses.

To be honest, Kyoya thought that the prince took after his mother more than his father. Tsubasa had the king's rather calculating golden eyes and skin tone, but none of Hayato's sharp-angled features and squared chin—no, he looked like Aimi, with his waist-length silver hair and his more rounded face.

He was wearing a look of curiosity, and his form was vaguely similar to his father's—slightly muscled, but still slender.

Despite being the prince, Tsubasa's features weren't marred with wrinkles—no sign of worry about the burden he was born to carry. Kyoya could only assume that Tsubasa was a calm, collected person—a good ally to have by one's side—or a spoiled brat babied by his parents. Since the prince showed not a single stuck-up pout, or disdained sneer, Kyoya selected the good ally description.

Gaelleon's royal family looked every bit as royal as their name.

"So these are the children I have heard so much about?" King Hayato asked. His voice was deep and slow, with a slight slur, as if he were sleepy. He sent a pointed look to his wife and a man in purple and white garbs who was probably Hotaka, his second-in-command. "They don't look like much."

Hotaka stared straight ahead, not batting a single eyelash. "Yes, Your Majesty."

The queen only nodded.

Kyoya glanced over his shoulder and noticed Gingka blushing and fidgeting. He felt a little uncomfortable, as well—being judged by the king like that. Ryuga, however, scowled. "Well, excuse us for going through all the trouble to make it here alive, _Your Majesty_." A thin layer of sarcasm covered the address, and Kyoya wanted to punch him in the face.

Mei Mei stared at Ryuga in horror.

Gingka grabbed the archer's arm. "Ryuga..." he muttered. "Do you want to get us all killed?"

Hayato seemed amused, although his brow was furrowed. "This one has an attitude." He wagged a finger in Ryuga's direction, grinning as if he had just played a hilarious prank. "You know, boy, I could have you executed for saying that. Are you into politics?"

Ryuga met his gaze and shook his head vehemently.

The king let out a small chuckle. "I'm going to be kind to you today, courtesy of my lovely wife, Aimi." He turned to the queen, a smile on his face as he took one of her slender, long-fingered hands in his own large ones. "And why, pray tell, exactly did you want to see them, my beautiful flower?"

Prince Tsubasa rolled his eyes.

Queen Aimi's regal expression never wavered. "They are some of the only survivors from Ensis. Of course, I would want to summon them here—make sure they are doing well for themselves." However, Kyoya had a feeling that she wanted to meet with them in private, to talk about other things.

"How are you, then?" she asked them. Her voice was neutral, but slightly frustrated.

"Fine, Your Majesty." Kyoya kept his answer short and to the point, unwilling to go on with careless banter. He fidgeted, uncomfortable with of all the attention on him. He felt like the room was going to collapse on top of them.

"Are there any other survivors?" Hayato asked.

Kyoya nodded. "Dan and Reiki Sodo."

"Did you happen to have trained in Ensis Academy... um...?"

"My name is Kyoya, Your Majesty. And yes, I have."

"Kyoya..." King Hayato muttered, as if trying to see what it sounded like coming from his mouth. "What can you do, exactly, Kyoya? I've heard you've enlisted for Gaelleon's army. What kind of weapons do you use?"

Kyoya shifted his feet. "A sword."

"That's it?" Hayato didn't sound very impressed. "How good are you at battle strategy?"

"Uh... I haven't tried it yet. I think..." _Why's he asking me all of these questions?_

One of the throne room guards—a blond-haired boy with a regal-looking sword strapped his his hip—scowled with disapproval and muttered something, then quickly regained his position once he noticed that he was being watched.

"How about those scars of yours? The ones under your eyes?"

"Uh..." Kyoya looked at his boots. _No. He can't. No no no no no no no... _He forced the memories down, trying to bury them. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He was back in that alley in Ensis, the ice-cold blade of a knife sinking into the skin under his eye...

_He's trying to intimidate you. Don't let him intimidate you!_

"Father..." Prince Tsubasa said warningly. "Perhaps we should talk about something else..."

"Oh, yes. The war."

Kyoya breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked Tsubasa, who looked a little confused. "That's not exactly what I..." The prince realized that he was being ignored by his parents, who were huddled together. "Oh, forget it," he mumbled, not seeming to care that he had said it loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Queen Aimi's voice was a hushed whisper.

"No," King Hayato said. "Gaelleon doesn't need Vienedour's help. Our neighboring country had supplied some of the stones used to pave Ensis' famed Arcus Road, as well as the material needed to build Mienora's fortress, and the enhancements to this very castle. We owe them more than what is appropriate. No—I won't allow it."

_The king is absolutely bonkers_, Kyoya thought, still feeling rather unsettled by the barrage of personal questions he'd been asked, as well as the sudden change of subject. They weren't called there to talk about the war, but the king's attention seemed to have wandered off somewhere.

Tsubasa started to stand. "But, Father—"

"Silence!" Hayato growled.

_He's way too proud for his own good._

The prince sat down, his expression stoic with a hint of frustration etched into his silver brow. He placed both hands on the armrests of his seat and tapped the polished wood with his fingers, as if saying something like, "See what I have to put up with?"

Ryuga's voice rang through the whole room. "You knew that Ensis was going to get attacked, didn't you? Why didn't you send a warning?"

_Here's another one who's too proud for his own good._

From the corner of his eye, Gingka slapped his forehead with a tiny groan.

"I never said that we knew that you were going to be attacked," King Hayato said, almost dismissively. "However, I admit that we did know. Fortissimus most likely intercepted the messenger hawks sent to Ensis, about the incoming troops—a minor setback, since most of our meat supply came from Ensis, as well as some potentially strong soldiers, but the sources that we have lost are expendable."

Kyoya felt like he had been stabbed in the back... _minor... setback? A king, not caring about one of his cities_... The bitter taste of betrayal filled his mouth, and he knit his eyebrows together to form a scowl. He looked sideways to see Ryuga's reaction.

He was _seething_, tapered white fangs glinting. Gingka clamped a hand over the amber-eyed archer's mouth before a single word could make its way out.

"It's either us or the guards," Kyoya hissed into his ear. "Take your pick." To be frank, he would rather Ryuga bite his hand off than have his companion be herded off to the dungeons or executed, because, yes, he cared.

Ryuga turned to send Kyoya a furious glance. Kyoya scowled, trying to tell him that he felt the same way about what happened.

King Hayato stood up, his expression calm. "That's enough for today. Leave—I do not wish to speak about Vienedour, or Ensis." He then sent side glances to Queen Aimi and Prince Tsubasa—and added, "That goes for you two as well."

He turned his attention back to the group. "As for you children, if I hear that you said a word to anyone else about this meeting, I will have every single one of you hunted down and executed." He nodded to the four guards who had brought them in. "Escort them back out."

Kyoya heard a low growl rumbling in Ryuga's throat, as well as his own.

"Thanks a lot, Ryuga!" Gingka exclaimed when they were out. "You might have just gotten us on the king's bad side!"

The archer grumbled something inaudible.

"You three."

Kyoya frowned and looked around. No one was there. Da Shan, Chi Yun, Chao Xin, and Mei Mei had gone. However, there was someone waving at them from the other end of the hall.

"Sir Hotaka?"

* * *

Ryuga: Is it just me, or does this chapter seem a little rushed?

Me: I had trouble finding the right story flow, okay?

Tsubasa: At least you finally mentioned me.

Mary Sue: Even though his royal parents don't care about his opinion!


	36. The Quest for the Queen

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters!

Mary Sue: Ah... but she does own her characters! King Hayato, Queen Aimi, Sir Hotaka, and Miyako! And let's not forget, me! *poses beautifully* But I'm not that great...

Miyako: Very modest. Another Mary Sue trait... *writes it down*

Me: I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time! We spent the entire week packing, then flying, then unpacking, and getting settled here... damn, it's cold in this country! Where's the love? I just got here and all I get are a gray sun and a gloomy atmosphere!

Ryuga: That's winter for you.

Me: Well, I do like my new boots! Hopefully, there's going to be snow, but knowing that NC's kind of less cold than the Northern states, and because of stupid global warming that may result in the world's ocean levels skyrocketing, I highly doubt it! I also rushed this chapter, but I didn't bother to proofread, so bear with me!

* * *

If there was anything that Ryuga had learned from being stuck in a cramped tent with a snobby cross-dresser, a loudmouthed brat, and a quiet kid, it was that nobles are not to be trusted. He was willing to trust their advice, because things were not looking very rainbow-filled and sun-shiny so far.

Hotaka led them through a maze of hallways and staircases with so many twists and turns that it made his three guests dizzy. The passageways grew darker—the number of windows had began to dwindle—until the only available light were torches mounted on the left side of the corridors—about ten feet apart from each other.

Then, they came upon a dead end.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Ryuga snapped. Expecting some kind of enemy to come crawling out of the walls, he quickly reached for his bow and arrows, before remembering that they had been taken away before he was allowed into the castle.

"Oh, no," Hotaka said, amusement evident in his voice. "This is certainly no joke at all. I am simply obeying the queen's orders, is all. There is no need to be afraid." He spoke as if he were talking to a bunch of children.

Before Ryuga could think of a snarky comeback—or perhaps grab a torch off the wall and set Hotaka's hair on fire—he felt Kyoya's rough hand clamp around his wrist. "Just calm down, will ya?" the green-haired teen muttered. "You've gotten us into enough trouble already."

The baron reached for the last torch and pulled on it. The entire sconce slid out of the wall. Suddenly, the stones that made up the wall quivered—making a few sediment grains fall from the ceiling—and slid backwards, one by one, in a seemingly random order, until a crude doorway was made.

Hotaka set the torch back into its place in the wall. Then, he tapped on a large stone in the wall, and a few more stones shifted to reveal a twisted black torch with a pointed end—unlit—in the wall. He grabbed the torch and the stones automatically slid back into place, as if nothing had happened.

Hotaka turned to Gingka, smirking. "Would you like to try it, young magician?"

"Me?"

Ryuga exchanged a confused glance with Kyoya.

"Yes, you," Hotaka said. "Your father hasn't taught you any Elemental Spells?"

Gingka shook his head.

"Pity," he muttered. "_Ignis_." The torch burst into flame, and Hotaka stepped into the hole in the wall, the light of his torch illuminating the darkness that lay within. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked. "An invitation?"

"You're a sorcerer?" Gingka exclaimed.

"Fortunately, no," Hotaka said.

"But you just—"

"The torch is charmed to obey its trigger word—no matter who says it," the baron explained. "This is a form of Summoning, when you create a sort of subconsciousness and place it into an inanimate object in order to make it respond to your will."

Gingka was shaking in a rather amusing way—as if he had worms in his robe. "Cool!"

"You will not be learning it for a while," Hotaka said. "It is a very high-level spell."

"Oh."

Hotaka had already turned and walked away, his torch's orange light already fading away. Kyoya was quick to follow him, glancing over his shoulder at the other two members of their little party. Ryuga hesitated at the mouth of the gaping hole. Gingka grabbed his tunic sleeve in what seemed like a fit of anxiousness. "I'll go in if you do," the redhead said, giving him a thumbs-up. "We'll do it together, Ryuga!"

"Sap," the archer scoffed, but he put one foot through the doorway, then the other one. He stepped further into the tunnel, keeping his eyes on Kyoya's unruly mane, and felt Gingka's footsteps closely trailing behind him. His eyes adjusted quickly to the pitch-blackness until he could make out the stones that lined the corridor.

_Must be a Shadow Hunter thing_, he thought dryly.

They descended a flight of stairs, with only the single torch flickering eerily in the darkness. It was cold and damp and smelly in the strange little staircase and a few stones were often missing from the steps. Others were slick with wetness and slime, making Ryuga wonder if that part of the castle used to be underwater, or was at least flooded for some time.

Hotaka expertly avoided the gaps, his snow-white hair turned orange by the firelight. Kyoya ambled more slowly behind him, eventually being overtaken by Ryuga's more nimble feet and lighter weight. Gingka was a bit clumsier than his companions, falling more then once.

"We're almost there," Hotaka assured them.

"So, Gingka," Kyoya said, breaking the silence between the three boys, "you're a sorcerer."

Gingka let out a sheepish laugh. "Yup."

"Care to explain?"

"Uh... let's see... Do you want the long version or—"

Ryuga interrupted the redhead. "The short version."

Gingka nodded, and a sharp intake of breath was heard. "Five days ago I was accused of stealing an apple and before they could punish me this magician came and took me back to the palace then he revealed himself to be my dad and I've been learning magic from him ever since," he said in one breath. "Now... was there something I—oh yeah, Madoka, Yu, Kenta, Toby, the twins, and Hikaru are here, too."

"Hik—uh, they're here?" Kyoya sounded a little too excited—his head had jerked up at the sound of Hikaru's name. Judging by his reaction, Ryuga was starting to think that the green-haired teen _liked_ Hikaru... not that Ryuga cared, of course.

He didn't care at all.

Right?

His treacherous thoughts were cut off as Hotaka's voice echoed through the tunnel, making it seem emptier and creepier than it already was. "We're here," he announced, gesturing to yet another dead end. He touched one of the bricks, and just like the first one, the stones in the wall shifted to create an entrance. This one had light and warmth radiating from the room beyond.

The three teens followed Hotaka through the doorway.

Queen Aimi was seated in one of the chairs, looking as if she had been expecting them, which—Ryuga assumed—she was. Prince Tsubasa was standing, staring into the stone fireplace on one side of the room, his arms crossed in a way that reminded Ryuga of himself whenever he was brooding.

The prince did not even glance at the newcomers.

There was a stranger in the room, though. A very tall, red-haired man cloaked in a blue velvet tunic and tights, his belt sagging awkwardly with the weight of several pouches and trinkets. He was the spitting image of Gingka, with the same lightning-bolt-shaped eyebrows and gleaming golden eyes.

"My name is Ryo," he said, nodding at them. "Gingka's father."

Of course.

"Nice to meet you," Kyoya said. He elbowed Ryuga, who just grunted—he wasn't one for formal introductions.

The queen stood slowly, her gossamer hair and dress flowing ever so fluidly with her every movement. "Gingka Hagane, Kyoya Tategami, and Ryuga Kishatu," she said. "I have dreamed of meeting you in person for a very long time—ever since I was a mere child."

"I don't think we were alive when..." Ryuga closed his mouth at Aimi's raised eyebrow. He had a feeling that even though she looked as delicate and as fragile as a flower, the queen could be as deadly as one of his own arrows.

"All three of you... I have been hoping to talk to you personally, however, the king found out about my plans and insisted on seeing you as well." She turned to the silken tapestry hanging at the back of the room. It showed three shadowed figures—one with a sword, one with a bow and arrow, and another one with a thin stick that Ryuga guessed was a "magic wand," like the ones from fairy tales.

"There is a prophecy, yet unfulfilled," she said. "About three who are destined to save the world from falling into an endless darkness."

Ryuga met Kyoya's gaze, wondering where this was going. She didn't mean to say that they—Gingka, Kyoya, and Ryuga—were the three who were supposedly going to save the world, right? However, he restrained himself from rolling his eyes, and let her continue.

"Those words..." Gingka breathed, his eyes fixated on the tapestry. "I know those words..."

Ryuga quirked his brow at the strange embroidery, written in a language he didn't understand.

"_Filius de magicis,_" Aimi muttered.

"_Susurratori de mortuorum_

_Dimidio sanguine de tenebris bellatorum_

_De equus alatum_

_De leonis_

_De ignis draco_

_Coniungimus ad vincere tenebras_

_Natus ab terra."_

"What do those words mean?" Gingka asked, stepping forward to kneel down at the queen's feet. "Your Majesty, I must know... The words... They're... they're Latin, aren't they? The words?" He was trembling as if he had just taken a dose of Madoka's sugar rolls.

"They are, young one," Queen Aimi said. "And this is the meaning behind them...

"Son of magic

Whisperer of dead

Half blood of the dark warriors—"

Ryuga barely managed to stop his knees from buckling. _Half blood of the dark warriors..._

"Of the winged horse

Of the lion

Of the fire dragon

Join together to defeat the darkness

Born from the earth."

The first thing Ryuga said was, "Whoever wrote this needs some help with his grammar."

This earned him a dirty look from Hotaka, and amused glances from Queen Aimi, Tsubasa, and Ryo.

"Child, this was written a long time ago, when magicians knew every word of Latin—the language of the dead, which is usually spoken, not written," Aimi explained. "You should not expect them to speak as we speak today."

"Did you just call me 'child?'"

"The point is," Ryo interjected, "you three are the chosen ones to a thousand-year-old prophecy that was given to mortals by the gods themselves."

"What do you expect us to do about it?" Gingka asked.

"I gave you this information simply to inform you," Queen Aimi said, turning to the tapestry. "I am only the messenger—the child of a prophet gifted with the ability to see into the future. I do not expect the world to start ending at this very heartbeat. We must simply wait until the time is right. For now... I ask a favor of you."

Kyoya stepped forward, much to Ryuga's concealed irritation. "What can we do for you, your Majesty?" he asked.

Queen Aimi reached for the scroll in her gold braided belt and pulled it out. She handed it to Kyoya. "This is a message to the king of Vienedour—Kuroi. I wish for you to deliver it to him, wait for his response, and come back here."

"Why us?" Kyoya asked. "Wouldn't it be better to send it along with the guards?"

"Kuroi only accepts messages from a member of the royal family," Aimi said, "and our king and I are occupied at the moment."

"But how can you trust us—you just met us!" Kyoya said. "And we're not royalty..."

"You will be accompanying Prince Tsubasa."

For the first time, the silver-haired prince acknowledged them, his eyes meeting Ryuga's. An uncanny intelligence lurked in those golden depths that matched the dangerous glint of the knife he was holding. Ryuga made a note not to let his guard down around him. One thing was for sure—Tsubasa was no snot-nosed brat.

"And," Aimi said, her voice taking on a rather soft and desperate tone, "perhaps two of the last survivors from Ensis will be able to persuade Kuroi to go along with our plans."

Gingka tore his eyes away from the tapestry, his expression contorting from a bewildered one to a shocked one. "Two?" he began, scratching the back of his neck. "My queen, don't you mean three? There are three of us."

"I meant two," Aimi told him firmly. "You will be staying here with your father in order to learn as many spells as you can."

"Yes, my queen," Gingka mumbled, sounding disappointed.

"Now!" Hotaka said, sounding as if he'd just woken up from a long nap. He bowed to Tsubasa, Kyoya, and Ryuga. "His Highness, and you two should go up to your rooms and pack. You will meet in the stables at midnight to begin your journey."

Queen Aimi's voice was nearly a growl. "Do not fail me."

* * *

Gingka: WHY DO THEY GET TO GO ON A QUEST, AND NOT ME?

Me: Because they're awesome and you're just Gingka.

Gingka: *sulking in his emo corner*

Me: I'm just kidding, Gingki, I love you!

Gingka: *still sulking*

Me: Fine. Ruin it, then! *crosses arms and huffs*

*Awkward silence*

Ryuga: Who wants mango juice?


	37. Randomness in the Life of Gingka Hagane

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters! And I found this chapter to be kind of confusing and random... it's divided into three different sections.

Me: Well, I'm both, so...

Gingka: Be glad that Ryuga hasn't read this yet...

* * *

Gingka embraced Kyoya and Ryuga, hot tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. "Come back safe, 'kay?" he said, his voice muffled in Ryuga's shirt. "I... I'll take you out to this new food joint I know 'round here. And you won't have to spend anything... and... and..."

"You'd better stick to your word," Kyoya said, his voice seeming a little distant. He ruffled Gingka's hair affectionately.

Gingka stepped back, studying his friends' faces in the dark courtyard lit only by a single lantern and the sliver of new moon, trying to be quiet—they had orders not to wake anyone up. Why the mission was so secret, he didn't know. But he crossed his arms and thought of Pegasus in the woods, and how he'd have a lot to tell him.

"Well, see you in a few days, guys," Gingka breathed, still feeling the disappointment of not being able to accompany them on their journey.

"Nine days, tops," Kyoya promised, and Gingka hoped that he would keep it. "The border's the same distance away from here as Sirius is from Ensis, and we're traveling on horseback, so don't expect us to be away for too long."

"If we hadn't taken all those stupid detours, we would've gotten here from Ensis a week instead of three," Ryuga muttered.

Kyoya rolled his eyes at Ryuga's remark.

Gingka took off the bag he'd been carrying, and handed it to Kyoya. "I snuck some of Madoka's pastries from the kitchen," he said, trying not to tear open the bag and gobble up the snacks. "Thought she'd want you to have 'em, if she knew you were going..."

They hadn't been allowed to say goodbye to the others, and Gingka could tell how it was a major blow to Ryuga and Kyoya's confidence. He himself was praying to the gods that his two friends would make it back alive, because even though the two often acted like children whenever they lost their tempers, no one could have made it to Sirius.

Tsubasa was patiently waiting for them in the stables, his white stallion saddled and ready. An eagle was perched on his shoulder—the prince had already informed them that its name was Aquila. "Let's get going, you two," he said. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

Gingka watched, panic and concern building in his chest as he watched Ryuga mount a chestnut horse, which seemed a little twitchy. However, it seemed that it was Kyoya's steed that had a problem with its rider. It was snorting and backing away from him.

"Tch. Probably can smell the dead people on you." Ryuga smirked. Gingka realized that he was referring to the prophecy's line about the whisperer of the dead. He wondered if Kyoya_could_ talk to the dead, then saw the green-haired teen's frosty blue glare and decided that now wasn't the time to ask.

"Oh, yeah?" Kyoya countered. "What about you, _half-blood_?"

Ryuga turned away without even a sneer, and Gingka could tell that Kyoya's words had upset him.

In an attempt to break the thin layer of ice that had been built between the two teens, Tsubasa cleared his throat. "Just try to get on the horse, Kyoya," he said, "and remember what you've been taught about riding them."

Kyoya nodded, stuffed the bag of pastries into one of the saddlebags, and managed to keep the horse still enough for him to unsteadily mount it.

Tsubasa flicked the reins and his horse trotted out of the stables and into the courtyard, hooves _clop-clop-clopping_ on the smooth stone ground. Kyoya and Ryuga's horses followed, nickering and snorting as their more inexperienced riders tried to steer them in the right direction.

Gingka watched as they passed through the opened side gate and quickly ran to close it behind their departing mounts. It swung closed, the old metal hinges creating the softest squeaking sound as it did. He pushed the bolt in.

When Gingka looked up through the thin bars, the three horses and their riders were gone.

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"You've obviously gotten the hang of Levitation," Ryo said.

Gingka was levitating a large oak table, and he found it quite difficult—he felt the heavy weight of the item on his mind, almost as if he were manually lifting it. He pushed back on the weight and sighed with relief as it slowly began to wane. "Yeah," he replied carefully. "This is easy—"

The table fell to the ground, narrowly missing Gingka's foot.

"Oops." Ryo looked amused.

"You talked to me on purpose!" Gingka accused.

"I was assessing you to see if you were ready to move onto levitating multiple larger objects, but it seems like you aren't." His father clicked his tongue and moved behind Gingka to adjust his stance, but for once, he seemed at loss of what to do.

Gingka fidgeted uncomfortably and turned his head to the side.

Ryo stepped back. An awkward silence settled between them, and once again, Gingka was reminded of the large rift between himself and his father—more than a decade long, actually—and how this came between their father-son relationship.

Finally, Ryo spoke. "Just... just move your feet a little further apart, Gingka—yes, that's it. Now let's try again."

"_Dimoveo_!" The three books rose again.

Suddenly, a dark brown falcon flew through the window and landed on the floor, making Gingka drop the books. "Ugh—stupid bird!"

The falcon screeched at him, then started to grow taller, its feathers shrinking and folding together, getting paler—human skin, clothes, and accessories. Its wings turned into arms, the tips dividing themselves and elongating into slender fingers. Eyes shifting to the front of the head. Dark hair springing out of the scalp.

In two seconds, a boy—probably no older than Ryuga—was standing in front of Gingka, eyeing him curiously. He had dark blue hair and pale skin and was wearing face paint, a short white tunic decorated with blue ocean waves, loose navy blue pants, and worn brown sandals.

"Ryutaro!" Ryo looked surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The boy—who apparently went by the name Ryutaro—shrugged. "I heard you were training a new young wizard while I was away," he said. "So I wrapped up my own training and went back here to see how he's doing." He glared at Gingka. "I _don't_ appreciate being called stupid, by the way."

The redhead shrank back.

"This is my... son... Gingka," Ryo said. "Gingka, this is my other apprentice Ryutaro Fukami. I believe he just finished his Altering training."

"Altering?" Gingka exclaimed. "Wow! I'm only at Levitation!"

"So you're Sensei Ryuusei's son?" Ryutaro tilted his head. "Funny—he's never mentioned having one."

Ryo laughed. "You'll figure it out eventually, Ryutaro," he said, patting the other boy's back. Gingka tried to conceal it, but his heart clenched—he envied the closeness that his father and his apprentice had, and they probably didn't even share the same blood.

"Ryuusei?" Gingka questioned.

His father smiled. "Ryo is my nickname. Formally, I am referred to as Ryuusei."

"Should I start calling you Sensei, too?" Gingka asked dryly. "Whatever that means..."

"If you'd like," Ryo said. "But that would feel quite strange. Oh, Sensei is what students usually call their teachers in Japanese, out of respect."

"Why does Gaelleon have to have so many languages?" Gingka grumbled.

Ryutaro smiled. "The most commonly used is English, but before the different cultures were united, people who lived here used to speak all kinds of languages—Japanese, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and many more than I can count on my fingers."

"Do you speak anything besides English?" Gingka asked.

"Not really," Ryutaro admitted. "All those languages... they kind of started to fade away... a long time ago."

"That's sad," Gingka said.

Ryo hummed. "However, some towns were divided into different groups, usually depending on their cultures. Ensis' community is mainly made up of people of Japanese roots. Calor is mainly Portuguese, with a bit of English or American here and there. Mienora's Irish. Goren is Chinese."

"Sounds kind of racist."

"Oh, son..." Ryo patted his head in amusement.

Ryutaro's face broke out in a grin and he opened a fan in front of his chest. "I can tell that you've got a strong, kind heart, Gingka," he commented, waving his fan. "It's a good quality to have, especially during these hard times. I hope you put it to good use."

Gingka shrugged, turning red at the praise.

**ΩΩΩΩΩ**

"So let me get this straight," Pegasus said. "You want me to jump off this ledge?"

Gingka nodded. "Yes. I want you to learn how to fly in higher elevations."

"No way." The winged horse snorted in contempt and backed away from the edge of the cliff, which probably wasn't more than forty feet above the ground. "I'm not going to do it. Do you know how long it took me to make my mane and tail look this good?"

"I don't care about your stupid hair!" Gingka snapped. "Just go, or I'll force you off."

"Oh, really?" Pegasus snorted. "I'd like to see you try, short-stack—"

"_Dimoveo_." Gingka waved his wand at the Pegasus. Immediately, the acrophobic horse started to float. "Hey! Put me down, you insolent twit!" he whinnied. "Put me down, I say! This isn't fair!" He kicked his hooves and tossed his head as Gingka moved him closer to the edge.

"Bye." Gingka put his wand down.

Pegasus let out a high-pitched shriek as Gingka's magic slacked around him and he fell downwards, towards the ground. He spread open his large, feathered wings just before he hit the treetops, and rocketed upwards, back towards the ledge.

Gingka clapped his hands together as Pegasus stumbled to a clumsy stop in front of him. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

Suddenly, a blur of red fabric streaked out of the trees behind him. Gingka yelped, caught off guard, and was pushed backwards into Pegasus' hard flank. The winged horse whinnied in panic and jumped off the cliff. Gingka quickly whipped out the knife he kept in his boot and managed to parry the incoming attacker's blade, only to be pushed to the ground.

"That was unfair, Hikaru!" Gingka exclaimed, panting heavily. "You could've killed me!"

"And me!" Pegasus added huffily, landing back on the ground. He started preening himself.

She had grown into a strong young woman, he'd noticed. She seemed to have discarded her noblewoman ways and had adopted less sophisticated habits—such as wearing tunics, pants, and boots instead of dresses and petticoats—over the course of their journey, and Gingka knew that she had managed to surpass him quickly in combat.

Hikaru had taken it upon herself to spar with Gingka everyday, taking him by surprise every time. Gingka often thought that it was her way of letting her frustration out—after all, the group had practically disbanded, and they were left at the castle whilst the others went off to war, doing who-knows-what, risking their lives for the benefit of a few thousand strangers.

"Well," Hikaru said, blowing a strand of blue hair out of one of her violet eyes. "You two looked pretty scared, and I guess that was sort of worth it." She twirled her sword in her hands and sheathed it. "I don't know why I chose to do this with you," she muttered, as if to herself. "Kenta's a much tougher opponent..."

"I was not scared!"

"Yes, you were."

"Let's make a rule then—no attacking someone when they're standing next to a cliff!"

"Oh, suck it up, Magic Boy," she said teasingly. "You're just mad that I beat you."

"You did not beat me!"

Pegasus looked up from his grooming, his azure eyes sparking with contempt. "And he barely deserves the name 'Magic Boy'—he's only at Levitation... hmph!" He tossed his head vehemently. "Can't even learn Healing yet, and Healing's one of the easiest types of magic..."

"It is not!" Gingka scoffed. "The difficulty of the magic depends on the magician's natural abilities and the power of his or her wand!"

"And your wand has fairy dandruff in it."

"Fairy dandruff?" Hikaru drew back in disgust.

"That's what Ryo—uh, I mean my dad—told me," Gingka said.

She cleared her throat. "How'd he even get fairy dandruff? Aren't fairies... like, really small and hard to find, let alone catch?" She tapped her chin. "Or, at least, that's what I've read in the castle library. That place's practically a treasure cove of knowledge. I've read a few books about prophecies—"

"Do you miss them?"

Hikaru was silent for a couple of heartbeats, taken by surprise at the _very_ sudden change of subject. "Miss who?" she asked, trying to act like she didn't know what he was talking about, even though it was all too obvious that she did.

Gingka shrugged.

Pegasus sighed rudely and made himself comfortable on the ground, delicately folding his wings over his flanks. "Here we go again," he said, snorting, "with all your stupid drama. It was so funny at first... now it's just irritating."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gingka said sarcastically, feigning sincerity. "I didn't realize that we've wandered away from the most important of all conversation topics—Pegasus' life! Please, Pegasus, go ahead. What's up? Enlighten us."

"Thank you!"

Gingka rolled his eyes at Pegasus and turned back to Hikaru. "You haven't seen them in a while, huh?"

Hikaru nodded. "I miss Ryuga..."

At Gingka's raised eyebrow, she quickly added, "And Kyoya, Benkei, Bao, and Aguma, of course."

"Yeah..." Gingka sighed. "Especially since we've just reunited. Now they've gone again."

"Just reunited?"

Gingka realized his blunder—that Hikaru didn't know about the quest. "I mean, it seems like yesterday when Kyoya was bossing us around... Dan and Reiki showing up in Goren... Yu joining the group... Aguma breaking up the fight between Bao and Ryuga..." A wave of nostalgia washed over him.

Hikaru seemed to have forgotten the slip-up. "... Ryuga helping to tell that story about Ryuu Koutei... and telling me about fireweed..."

Gingka smirked at Hikaru, eager to take advantage of the situation. "Hikaru Hasama sneaking a peek at Ryuga Kishatu while he was taking a bath..."

Pegasus burst out in his own version of a laugh. "Hikaru's a pervert!"

"I was not sneaking a peek!" The blue-haired girl was blushing and avoiding his gaze. "I was refilling the canteens, and he just happened to be buck-naked in the water right in front of me and _how in the name of magic did you know that_?"

"You ran into the camp with the canteens empty and your face all red and guilty, like it is now," Gingka said. "Two minutes later, Ryuga came in and said that he felt like someone was watching him while he was bathing. Hikaru, you'd have to be very stupid to not think that there was some connection."

"Well, I saw more of him than what I was comfortable with... Did you know that there's a birthmark on his ass that's shaped like a piece of macaroni?"

"The Sodos' macaroni? The one covered with the suspicious 'cheese' that Benkei said had glued his mouth shut for at least three days?"

"What other macaroni would I be talking about?"

"Good point... I've gotta go. It's past noon—my dad's probably waiting for me now."

* * *

Me: So? What did you think? *elbows Hikaru*

Hikaru: I have nothing to say to you! *leaves*

Me: *pouts*

Ryuga: You envision me with a macaroni-shaped birthmark on my butt?

Me: Yes. Left cheek. About an inch long and a centimeter wide. Three and a half inches away from the crack. Two inches below the spine. A couple of shades darker than your skin tone, and a bit faded around the edges.

Ryuga: The fact that you seem to have thought about this before creeps me out in ways I've never been creeped out before.

Me: *perv face* Oh, I've thought about it before, Ryuga... I've thought about it before... lots... *is shot* ... *annoyed* ... Do you really think that a suction-cup-tipped arrow is going to kill me?

Ryuga: Damn it.

Me: *grins* Dat ass...


	38. Tenfold

Kyoya: DragonFang2011 does not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any of the characters!

DragonFang: Sorry for not updating for such a long time. How long has it been—a month? Two months? Feels like forever! I was grounded for that long! And that was for being lazy!

Ryuga: Hopefully, your writing's improved over that time.

DragonFang: Nope! Not at all! But I've gotten tons of ideas for new stories, so this one... I'm just not feeling this one anymore. I have the ending all typed up, so maybe I can just post it and get it over with...

Gingka: Sheesh. Talk about disloyal. Anyway, apologize! You said you were!

DragonFang: No! I'm not sorry about what I typed in the last chapter!

Ryuga: You'd better be, for your laptop's sake!

DragonFang: I'm a Fanfiction author. You can't even touch my laptop. It is impossible in every which way. And I don't regret anything I wrote!

Ryuga: Tell them that I don't really have a macaroni-shaped birthmark on my butt!

DragonFang: Honey, they know that you don't have one. This is Fanfiction.

Ryuga: You authors—!

*Sorry for the inconvenience. We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by. The story will resume in a moment.*

* * *

Kyoya was tired.

The three questing boys have been sitting on the horses for the last fifteen hours, only taking two thirty-minute breaks—for lunch and dinner, and bathroom breaks. His legs felt stiff and his rump was nearly numb from sitting on the hard leather saddle for six hours straight. However, he bit back his complaints and quietly continued sulking, trying to move with the horse's loping strides instead of against them.

Prince Tsubasa hadn't been lenient on them.

_I should've said no to this stupid trip_, Kyoya thought bitterly. He felt his shoulders slump forward, and he reached for his canteen and popped open the cap. Cool water washed over his dry tongue and down his throat as he lifted the container to his lips. With a satisfied sigh, Kyoya put the canteen away, feeling a bit less cranky now that he had been hydrated.

He glanced over at Ryuga, who didn't seem very happy, either. He had been scowling and grumbling to himself for the whole day, and Kyoya was rather worried that his face would get stuck that way, which would be tragic. Funny, but tragic.

The sun had set a long time ago, and dark clouds covered the new moon and the twinkling stars. A cold breeze swept over them, ruffling Kyoya's already unruly hair. Not too far—at the front of the group—Tsubasa's long silver locks waved in the wind like a shining flag.

It was going to rain.

And worse—they didn't have tents.

_Dammit, who goes on a longer-than-a-week journey and doesn't pack tents? Oh right—us._

Still, Tsubasa showed no signs of stopping.

Not for the first time, Kyoya's mind wandered to the prophecy. He knew that Gingka was the son of magic. He himself was the whisperer of the dead. Which meant that Ryuga was the half-blood of the dark warriors, whoever they were. It seemed quite unreal—not a month ago, when they were safe and happy in Ensis, he'd never even really believed in gods and prophecies.

Even now, he was doubting everything that the queen had told them.

If there were gods, why were so many people suffering?

Why did prophecies have to make things so difficult to understand?

A flash of white lightning tore through the black sky, illuminating the darkened road and creating dark highlights. A clap of thunder quickly rose to the call, meaning that the storm had arrived, followed by cold, tiny raindrops.

Tsubasa glanced back at them. "Head for the trees!" he snapped over the sound of pouring rain. He deftly maneuvered his horse towards the forest on their right side just as Aquila swooped down from the sky and perched itself on the prince's shoulder.

Kyoya pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and jerked on his horse's reins. The speckled gray horse heeded his command, snorting. Kyoya looked over his shoulder to see Ryuga not far behind them, shaking droplets of rain from his white hair.

Upon reaching a large, twisted tree, Tsubasa jumped off his horse, his boots making a squishing sound as they made contact with the ground—and disappeared into the trees. Kyoya dismounted as well, feeling his own boots sink into the wet leaves that covered the forest floor. The curves and bends of the bare tree above their heads somewhat provided them protection from the rain.

However, Ryuga didn't get off. "We can't rest yet," he hissed. "It's dangerous here!"

Kyoya was already pissed off about the horse ride, the rain, and the whole journey in general. And now his companion actually had the insensitivity to bug him. Then again, it was _Ryuga_, for crying out loud, but still! He gritted his teeth.

Tsubasa agilely mounted his horse. "We have to get going. There's a small group of monsters not too far from here, and we don't want to alert them. I believe that they're former Fortissimus soldiers, since they're wearing the insignia, but are unusually far away from the battle lines."

"Maybe spies?" Ryuga piped up.

"Could be..."

Kyoya frowned and strained his ears. He heard faint grumbles and roars over the rain.

"Let's get 'em." Ryuga's golden eyes were glowing with what seemed like pure bloodthirst and a bit of madness. The nearly invisible marks on his face from the Shadow Hunter attack only seemed to make him look even more intimidating and more than a little evil.

"Are you insane?" Tsubasa asked, and pointed towards the trees. "The three of us can't possibly defeat all of them. There are way too many of them, and some of them are way too big for only one person to handle alone."

"I've been waiting to kill Fortissimus soldiers ever since Ensis burned down to the ground," Ryuga growled. "I've been waiting _so_ _patiently_, ever since I agreed to travel to Sirius. They killed many of our people. Now, there's this big opportunity to get back at them, right in front of us, and you just want to run away?"

"Don't tell me that this is why you joined us, Ryuga!" Kyoya said, feeling his stomach twist nauseatingly. A lump formed in his throat—he felt rather betrayed and hurt and _angry_. So... damn... angry. "Don't tell me that you were only out for blood this entire time!"

"This is the _only_ reason I joined you!" Ryuga snarled, jumping off his his horse. "I told you that I had a score to settle with Fortissimus—for killing my father!"

_He doesn't care about the others after all... _Kyoya opened his mouth to curse him.

"Enough!" Tsubasa came between them.

Kyoya jumped a bit, surprised that the silver-haired prince had lost his cool. He met Ryuga's slightly calmer gaze, which slowly went from furious to alarmed. The archer quickly reached for his quiver and pulled out an arrow, nocking it onto the string of his bow.

The green-haired teen drew his sword, forgetting about the fight.

For a while, anyway.

Suddenly, a roar shook the ground beneath them, as loud as thunder. Monsters began to stream out from behind the trees on one side, shrieking their terrifying battle calls. There were probably about more than ten of them—all scales, fur, teeth, and claws.

"To the road!" Tsubasa yelled.

Kyoya mounted his horse and spurred it into an all-out gallop, heading back the way they came with long, fast strides. He heard the sound of the pounding of many feet and the snapping of many jaws as the monsters surged after him.

He reached the wide road in less than a minute and urged his horse to go faster. But the poor animal was tired enough from walking all day and started to slow down. Kyoya jumped off and let it stumble into the forest, where it collapsed from exhaustion.

He was going to have to fight.

As the first monster raised its heavy-looking ax, Kyoya darted in and thrust his sword into its heart, his heart pounding anxiously. Then, without looking to see the result, he moved on to the next one, parrying its sword and slicing the goat-like head clean off.

Then, he whirled around to strike at a reptilian monster. The snake turned to block his attack and swept Kyoya's legs out from under him with its long, scaly tail. Kyoya landed on the road, which was slick with rain and blood. His left wrist was engulfed in a sudden throbbing pain, and he yelped.

Before the snake could have a go at him, Tsubasa lunged forward and dug his sword into its side. Then, with a jerking motion, he sent the torso flying, separated from the rest of the body. What was left of the beast went down, splattering Kyoya with dark, sticky blood.

It all happened so quickly that the green-haired teen barely had time to process what had happened. The prince was gone in a silver flash.

The battle was over as soon as it began, leaving several bodies lying lifeless on the ground, staining the road with their blood. The remaining few monsters retreated towards the road that led to Sirius—Kyoya knew that the guards would be able to handle them.

Kyoya had several cuts—mainly on his arms. His cloak was nearly shredded, and he felt like a big bruise was forming on his stomach, which—considering his luck—was probably true. His left wrist was sprained after that slip while fighting the snake.

Tsubasa's left arm was hanging limply by his side. His white pants were stained with so much blood and muck that it looked brown—his silver hair was loose and dirty. His left eye was dark and shiny and had a cut just underneath it—a black eye.

Ryuga seemed to have sprained his ankle and had bleeding gashes everywhere. His shirt was literally just a piece of black cloth hanging from his shoulder. When he turned, Kyoya could see the beginnings of several bruises—as well as a few splinters—on his back. He could only assume that he had been thrown right through a tree.

_Serves him right._

Prince Tsubasa spat blood onto the ground and moved his—apparently—dislocated shoulder back into place with a loud _pop_. He glared at Ryuga, who glared right back with the ferocity tenfold. "You got your fight," the prince said, his golden eyes burning with anger. "Happy now?"

* * *

Ryuga: Oh! So I'm the bad guy!

Me: But you're happy, right?

Ryuga: I'm never happy.

Me: Quote stealer! That's from Zuko! He stole it from Zuko! Quote stealer! Quote steal—mmph!

Kyoya: ... So... was Ryuga really thrown right through a tree?

Me: *removes Ryuga's hand from mouth* As a matter of fact, he was.

Kyoya: Yes!

Ryuga: I don't deserve this treatment! I'm the most popular MFB character there is! Everyone knows that!

Me: Yeah... right after Gingka and Kyoya.

Gingka and Kyoya *fist-bump*

Ryuga: *eye twitch*

Me: But on the bright side, you're the _second_ most popular in the M-rated category! Right after Gingka Hagane, who is in the lead with a little less than fifty stories! You, my friend, have about forty! Kyoya has like, thirty, just so you know.

Kyoya: Do you really feel the need to count those?

Gingka: I'm not sure whether to be happy or extremely disturbed...


End file.
